No More Horn Blowin' in New Orleans: Atlanta Falcons Sign Joe Horn

When rumors started flying that Benson would move the New Orleans Saints to San Antonio,Texas, Joe Horn, well got on his horn, publicly making a case for the team to stay put in New Orleans and continue to be a source of income and cheer for the state and the city. Under advisement by the NFL and mounting public pressure, Benson didn't get his wish to bail out. Instead he'd have to stay and help the state and the city bail out from under hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

But there'll be no more Horn blowin' in New Orleans. The Atlanta Falcons signed Joe Horn to a contract, today. And like many sore New Orleans Saints before him, Joe Horn is now playing for divisional rival, Atlanta Falcons. His move came after an apparent rift between the coach and him. Coach Sean Payton maintains that it was agreed that Joe Horn wanted to, and was free to, test his worth out on the free-agency market. While the very public Joe Horn hinted that the coach felt they could win without him and that he was asked to take a pay-cut. He was set to receive 3.3 million dollars this year for his services as well as a signing bonus should he re-sign with the Saints.

Rift or not, one of New Orleans Saints' most prolific receivers, second all-time only to LSU product Eric Martin, in receptions with 523, receiving yards 7622, and first in TD receptions 50, Joe Horn is now with those dirty-birds, arch-rival Atlanta Falcons.

He takes with him a league-wide reputation as a tough receiver that could take the biggest of hits and bounce right back up. And before being injury-plagued last year, and the Katrina-Rita season the year before, Joe Horn had become one of the best go-to-receivers in the league, being thrown to on 3rd and 4th down more than any other receiver in the NFC.