The Saints have raised nearly $500,000 in a Super Bowl ring raffle that will benefit people affected by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, according to the Times-Picayune. Raffle tickets are $2 each, but buyers must make a minimum $10 order. The deadline is Sept. 9, and the raffle winner will be announced before that night's regular-season opener.

Joe Horn will sign a contract with the Saints and then retire with the team. Horn was elected to the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame earlier this spring. "Joe's accomplishments throughout his NFL career were tremendous," said Saints Coach Sean Payton. "He was one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL during the period in which he played. For the time that I worked with him he was a big part of us building this program up to where we reached the NFC Championship in 2006. I wish Joe happiness and success in his future endeavors."

Mark Brunell plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday, the apparent result of a string of failed real-estate investments. Among them was a partnership called Champion LLC that included Brunell and former Jaguars teammates Joel Smeenge and Todd Fordham. "The timing of the group's real-estate acquisitions at the height of the real-estate market, in hindsight, clearly was not good," Brunell said in a statement e-mailed to the Florida Times-Union. Brunell has made nearly $52 million during an NFL career spanning more than 15 years.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been nominated for a number of ESPY awards this year. The annual award show will be held on July 14 in Los Angeles. Brees will compete with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Jimmie Johnson and Albert Pujols as the best male athlete. He is also up for best championship performance, competing with snowboarder Shaun White, swimmer Michael Phelps and Montana basketball player Anthony Johnson. Brees is also one of the Best NFL Player nominees, along with Brett Favre, Chris Johnson, Peyton Manning, Darrelle Revis and Charles Woodson.

The Bears had to have security escort defensive end Alex Brown from their practice facility on Tuesday. Brown, who spent eight seasons in Chicago, is now a member of the Saints. A Bears official said NFL rules forbid players under contract to visit another team's facilities. "We love Alex Brown," the team official said. "He's got friends throughout Halas Hall, but league rules don't allow us to host a player under contract at our facility. "He's one of the great guys. He's one of the top-notch guys who have come through in a long time."

The Saints have released veteran defensive end Bobby McCray. McCray started all three playoff games last season after a season-ending injury to Charles Grant. He is a six-year NFL veteran out of Florida who signed with the Saints as an unrestricted free agent in 2008.

The New Orleans Saints agreed to trade OL Jammal Brown to the Washington Redskins, NFL Network's Michael Lombardi confirms via a league source. The Times-Picayune was the first to report the story Saturday. rown, a restricted free agent, can't be traded until he signs his tender offer. Brown has agreed to sign the tender to complete the trade, which would give the Saints a conditional draft pick pending Brown's physical, according to Lombardi. Brown, who is entering his sixth season, has spent his entire career with the Saints after they chose him with the 13th overall pick of the 2005 draft. He was on the injured reserved for all of the 2009 season.

GM Mickey Loomis said Friday that restricted free-agent wide receiver Lance Moore has re-signed with the Saints. Moore had resisted signing his one-year, $1.76 million tender from New Orleans until now because he was hoping to sign a longer deal. Entering his seventh NFL season, Moore emerged as the Saints' leading receiver in 2008 with 79 catches for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis says running back Pierre Thomas has signed his restricted free agent tender, but Thomas' agent says he still wants a better deal. Lamont Smith, agent for Pierre, says his is not expected to show up for the Saints' remaining voluntary off-season practices this week. He added that Thomas only signed an offer from the Saints to preserve options. The Saints had tendered Thomas about $1.7 million for one season, but if Thomas hadn't signed by midnight Monday, the club would have had the right under the NFL's collective bargaining agreement to reduce the offer.

The Saints and Pierre Thomas are far apart on contract negotiations, according to the running back's agent. New Orleans has made one contract offer, but the value was far from what Thomas is seeking. "The Saints have refused to negotiate with us. They've given us one proposal," agent Lamont Smith said Wednesday. "Pierre made the NFL minimum [salary] the last three years and was their leading rusher the last two. He made all the plays necessary. ... He's done all the right things. He played his [first] contract out."