Saints general manager Mickey Loomis won the NFL executive of the year award presented annually by The Sporting News. Loomis not only rebuilt the Saints from a 3-13 record in their nomadic 2005 season to NFC South champions, but helped in the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast. As did his team.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, disclosed a partial list of the league's TV schedule at the NFL owners meeting in Phoenix. The Bears will face the Chargers in the main national tilt on the season's first full Sunday of games while the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants will renew their rivalry in the year's first Sunday night game. ESPN will have a Monday night doubleheader in Week 1 with the Bengals hosting the Ravens and the Cardinals traveling to San Francisco to take on the 49ers. The Lions and Cowboys will host their traditional Thanksgiving Day games with Detroit playing the Green Bay Packers and Dallas squaring off against the New York Jets. For the second straight year, the NFL Network will host a Thanksgiving night game when the Colts head to Atlanta to face the Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints have come to an agreement with state officials that will keep the team in Louisiana through the 2010 season. Both sides agreed to toss out contract exit clauses that would have let the NFL team leave the state within the next four years. "For the foreseeable future, Louisiana's team will keep marching to victory right here," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said at the Governor's Mansion on Monday, announcing the latest developments in ongoing negotiations to keep the Saints in New Orleans.

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis expects Bobby Engram to re-sign with Seattle, according to the New Orleans Time-Picayune. The newspaper said Loomis stated that in an e-mail. Engram came to the Seahawks in 2001 and has played the past six seasons here. He is an unrestricted free agent and previously visited the Saints.

Wide receiver Brandon Stokley, one of the last remaining big-name players on the free-agent market, visited the Broncos on Tuesday. Stokley's agent, Rick Smith, said Tuesday night he had nothing new to report on negotiations. Denver is expected to talk to the player's representatives later this week. The Broncos will have competition for Stokley, who visited New Orleans last week.

The Saints signed safety Kevin Kaesviharn to a four-year contract on Tuesday. Kaesviharn, entering his seventh NFL season, was an unrestricted free agent after leading the Bengals with six interceptions. He also had 58 tackles, a career-high four sacks and a forced fumble.

Atlanta's young and underachieving receiving corps has a leader. More important, the Falcons have fetched Michael Vick another dependable target. Former Saints receiver Joe Horn, released last week by New Orleans, agreed Wednesday to sign with the rival Falcons, according to team sources. Terms of the contract, which was being finalized, were not immediately available. Horn reportedly passed a Falcons physical Tuesday.

The Saints agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free agent tight end Eric Johnson on Wednesday. Johnson, with the 49ers the last six years, will compete for playing time with Mark Campbell and recently re-signed Billy Miller.

The Saints added depth to their linebacking corps Tuesday, agreeing to terms with linebacker Brian Simmons on a three-year contract. Financial terms were not disclosed. Simmons, 31, was released last Wednesday by the Bengals after spending nine seasons with the team. Simmons' agent, Jerrold Colton, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that his client was impressed with the Saints after visiting the team last weekend.

The Saints released receiver Joe Horn on Thursday, saying Horn asked to be let go after the Saints asked him to take a pay cut. "Joe really wanted to see where his value is around the league for his services," GM Mickey Loomis said. "With as much as Joe has meant to the Saints and to New Orleans, we don't want to impede his desire to do so, and we have kept the door open for him to return to our team."