Linebacker Will Herring has reached an agreement to sign with the New Orleans Saints.

Herring was Seattle's nickel linebacker last season, someone linebackers coach Ken Norton said he considered almost like a starter.

Herring was also a very important special-teams contributor. His future with the team got caught up in a numbers game, though. The Seahawks have starters established with Aaron Curry, Lofa Tatupu and David Hawthorne all returning, and that was before they drafted two linebackers in April: K.J. Wright of Mississippi State in the fourth round and Malcolm Smith of USC in the seventh.

Herring played four seasons in Seattle, appearing in 54 games and starting eight of them. He was chosen in the fifth round of the 2007 draft.