Steve Smith wasn't surprised at all when the Saints bounty program came to light this offseason. The longtime Panthers wide receiver said he's "always known" that Gregg Williams and his defenses try to hurt opposing players. "I actually had an altercation with a guy who told me firsthand," Smith said on NFL.com's "Dave Dameshek Football Program," although he didn't name the Saints player. "I was going out of bounds, and the guy went for my ankle. I said, 'Hey, man, cut that out.' He's like, 'Well, we get fined if we don't go after your legs when you go out of bounds.' ... And actually this past year, this last game when we played them, I had a little conversation with Gregg Williams. ... He took responsibility, he was saying it wasn't right, but that's who he was."

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the team has signed 42-year-old kicker John Kasay to a one-year contract. New Orleans brought Kasay in during the 2011 preseason after Garrett Hartley hurt his leg. Kasay has appeared in 301 regular season games, successfully converting 461 of 563 (81.9 percent) field goal attempts in his 21-year career.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Louisiana was told Friday that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had a device in his Superdome suite that had been re-wired to enable him to eavesdrop on visiting coaching staffs for nearly three NFL seasons. Sources familiar with Saints game-day operations told "Outside the Lines" that Loomis had the ability to secretly listen for most of the 2002 season, his first as general manager of the Saints, and all of the 2003 and 2004 seasons. The sources spoke with "Outside the Lines" under the condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals from members of the Saints organization.

The Saints continue to have problems during their rocky offseason. Rita Benson LeBlanc, granddaughter of team owner Tom Benson and the woman believed to be his successor, has been placed on a type of unpaid administrative leave, according to sources. Benson, 85, reportedly reached a "breaking point" at the end of last season, and is using the leave to send a wakeup call to his 35-year-old granddaughter. "She's smart and has talent -- but she's just all over the map," said one source, who has worked with LeBlanc. "I think she really enjoys the glitz and glamour of being the owner, but she doesn't really roll up her sleeves and get into the business side of it."

As the linebacker braces for a suspension from the NFL for his role in the New Orleans bounty scandal, the Saints have restructured Jonathan Vilma's contract. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has talked about Vilma's "ability to play all three linebacker positions," but the team is preparing for a worse-case scenario when punishments drop.

The Saints have signed Jabari Greer to a three-year contract extension, putting him under control through the 2015 season, according to his agent. "This shows how well Jabari has played, and the Saints have recognized and rewarded him for it," agent Mark Bloom said. Greer was entering the final year of his contract.

Suspended Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, already has begun the process of working toward being reinstated, NFL.com reported Wednesday, citing league sources. Williams' advisers have contacted high-ranking NFL officials to determine what actions Williams should take during his suspension in order to apply for reinstatement, according to the report.

Apparently, there are no hard feelings on 49ers GM Trent Baalke's part regarding the Saints' targeting of San Francisco players in their bounty program. The GM recently reached out to suspended former New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to discuss the matter. He and Williams worked together during the 2004 season in Washington and Baalke still considers him a friend. "I don't feel any differently about him today than I did 20 days ago," Baalke said.

During his season-long suspension, Sean Payton is not allowed to have any contact with the Saints organization or anyone around the NFL, according to a source. If Payton does speak to anyone within the New Orleans organization, he must report the contact with league executive Ray Anderson. When Payton's suspension began Monday, he essentially was cut off from every Saints employee and any coaching friend he has around the league until the day after the 2013 Super Bowl.

Ray Rice, Matt Forte and Drew Brees are not expected to report to the start of their team's voluntary workouts Monday, according to sources. All three players received their team's franchise tag this offseason and are still looking for long-term contracts. All players under contract are expected, although not required, to participate in the voluntary workouts. Brees, Forte and Rice have refused to sign their franchise tenders and play under one-year contracts.