Ever since tight end Nick Vannett signed with the New Orleans Saints, he has been all smiles when it comes to the team's way.

"I'm just excited for being in this system, especially as a tight end," Vannett said during his Saints Minicamp interview with local media. "I think they do a great job of really giving us a legit shot of making plays in this system and I'm just happy to be able to show what I can do and happy to be a part of the Saints."

The five-year veteran was originally drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with their third-round (94th overall) choice in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Vannett mentioned that throughout his career with the Seahawks, Steelers and Broncos he has never played with an offensive-minded coach, but now he is thrilled to learn and adapt to the Saints offensive playbook.

"It's very complex, but in a great way though," Vannett said about the Saints offensive system. "It's very complex. There's a lot of personnel groupings. Obviously, Sean (Payton) creates a lot of opportunities for guys and puts guys in spots on the field to create mismatches, to better our chances of moving the ball down the field. I'm sure what I've learned right now is probably half of what there is in the playbook. I'm still learning. I'm still trying to get a grasp for it all, but I really like what I'm learning right now."

While learning this new offensive system during the offseason, Vannett linked up with teammates Adam Trautman Jameis Winston in California to work on their timing and route-running prior to the 2021 NFL season.

"(Adam Trautman) Traut told me that Jameis Winston was going to come out for a couple of weeks," Vannett said. "We linked up at UCLA and it was great work. I just really respect Jameis a lot. He's got that leadership. He's just very profound and even when we're just running routes we're practicing our huddle, we're practicing the play call and how we're going to line up. Everything is just practicing like we're in game mode. I have a whole lot of respect for him and even Taysom (Hill) as well. It's just two guys that are just going to do a great job leading our team in the right direction. I really respect those guys and we really got some good work in this offseason."

Vannett has played in 70 games (33 starts), posting 75 catches for 686 yards. In addition, the 6-foot-6, 261-pounder totaled five receiving touchdowns and averaged 9.1 yards per reception in his NFL career.