New Orleans Saints defensive end Noah Spence suffered a torn ACL while training away from the team, according to a source.

Spence was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list since the injury did not occur as part of New Orleans' offseason training program. The team cancelled their programs because of the coronavirus pandemic.

He can't play for the Saints this year and won't count against their 90-man roster.

Spence, 26, was scheduled to make $910,000 on a one-year deal if he made the Saints' 53-man roster.

The New Orleans Saints have confirmed that their naming rights agreement with Mercedes-Benz will not be renewed after it expires next year.

A team spokesman told Forbes that the Saints are seeking a new partner that will not only lend its name to the building, but also partner on initiatives to aid the Gulf Coast region.

"The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is a globally iconic building that brings a tremendous valuable future for a naming rights partner," Greg Bensel said.

"As with the philosophy of the Saints organization and the stature of the building, it will serve to represent our city, state and region as a leader to better our community, to be a more than just a naming rights opportunity, but a real partner, just as Mercedes-Benz was. And in that partnership, the goal will be to bring positive change to our region, our city and state, through a number of initiatives."

Sean Payton doesn't think the NFL was fully ready to review pass interference calls this past season.

Because of that, Payton isn't surprised that the NFL plans to end its one-year experiment.

"I think the theory behind what the league voted on certainly had a chance to be successful. But quite honestly we weren't ready in New York to handle it," Payton said during an interview with Baltimore's 105.7 The Fan. "And I know that sounds critical, but that's just a fact. The consistency and the ability to take in the calls and at least come up with a fairly level basis of what we're gonna interpret that call on. And if we're not ready there, then we shouldn't have it.

"And I think that's the feeling that all of us have right now, including myself."

Payton was a driving force behind the league's groundbreaking decision to allow pass interference calls to be reviewed for the first time last season after his team was the victim of a controversial missed PI call in the 2018 NFC Championship Game.

The New Orleans Saints will host the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day this year, marking the NFL's first Friday game since 2009.

It'll be just the 11th NFL game played on a Friday since the 1970 merger.

"There was some Christmas magic involved here," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "Another Saint, St. Nick, put in the request for that game as an extra present."

The matchup could have significant NFC playoff implications. This will be the fifth meeting between the Saints and Vikings in the past four years, including playoff wins by Minnesota in both the 2017 and 2019 seasons.