Saints running back Pierre Thomas and receiver Lance Moore aren't letting their unsettled contract situations keep them away from their teammates.
Both restricted free agents have been at Saints headquarters the past couple weeks and showed up Wednesday night for Heath Evans' charity softball game.
"Training camp is a long way away. It's at the end of July and we're still in April, so I'm not too worried about that," Moore said during the softball game that was attended by about 10,000 fans. "I'm trying to work hard and get better."
Thomas and Moore are among a handful of key players from the defending Super Bowl champions who have yet to sign new deals with the club. Another is unrestricted free agent Darren Sharper, who left his visit with the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday without a contract, a league source tells NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.
However, tight end Jeremy Shockey, who had dinner with Sharper a few nights ago, said he would be "very surprised" if Sharper did not return to New Orleans next season.
"We need him to come back," Shockey said. "They're going to get something done. Whatever it takes. That's a guy that we have to have around. It's mandatory to have him around."
Sharper is coming off of offseason arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, a minor procedure he had done after the Super Bowl to combat intermittent swelling that he dealt with the second half of last season.
"His surgery and everything set him back, but he's a winner through and throughout," Shockey said. "He's just shown through his career how resilient he is. He's nothing but a winner and I just hope to hell he comes back."
Other unsigned players for New Orleans include three restricted free agents, safety Roman Harper, left tackle Jammal Brown and guard Jahri Evans.
Brown and Evans have yet to show up for voluntary offseason workouts.
Thomas said he has "no clue" how talks are progressing between his agent and the Saints and says his focus is on showing his commitment to the team.
"I definitely wanted to be here to show my support and show how dedicated I am," Thomas said. "No matter what, I'm going to work hard. Whatever happens, happens. That's all I can say. I'm going to work hard, do what I have to do to stay in shape and be ready and be fit because I'm not going to lose a step at all. I'm just going to gain."
Thomas, signed as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Illinois in 2007, has led the Saints in rushing the past two seasons and was one of the heroes of the NFC championship and Super Bowl victories.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
