The Pittsburgh Steelers realized there was a good chance they would lose Keenan Lewis when the free-agent cornerback paid a visit to his hometown New Orleans Saints on Wednesday.
Free-agent tracker
Where will Greg Jennings wind up? Follow him and all the other NFL players on the move in our free-agent tracker. More ...
Lewis agreed to terms on a five-year contract with the Saints, the team announced Thursday. The deal is worth $26 million with $10.5 million guaranteed, NFL.com's Ian Rapoport reported.
A source told the Chicago Sun Times' Sean Jensen that Lewis turned down a bigger offer from another team so he could return to the Big Easy.
"We are excited to be able to add a player of Keenan's ability to our defense," Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement released by the team. "He was a top free-agent target for us, and I know that he is very excited to be able to come home to play football."
Lewis failed to record an interception during his 2012 breakout season, but he did lead all NFL cornerbacks with 16 passes defensed while allowing just a 52.7 completion rate on throws in his territory.
Jeremiah: Free agency impacts draft
How has free agency reshaped team needs for the draft? Daniel Jeremiah provides 10 key takeaways from the frenzy. **More ...**
Lewis is ideally suited to new coordinator Rob Ryan's defense, which has traditionally emphasized physical press-man cornerbacks. Lewis might not be the only addition, as Ryan reportedly has designs on signing Nnamdi Asomugha as well.
It's good to see the Saints taking a proactive approach to fixing their secondary after the team set the NFL single-season record for yards allowed last season.
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.