FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots signed free-agent running back Travaris Cadet on Tuesday.

Cadet, 26, played the last three years with the Saints. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound running back originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the Saints out of Appalachian State in 2012.

Cadet has played in 41 NFL games with one start and has 11 rushing attempts for 37 yards, 45 receptions for 345 yards with two touchdowns and 50 kickoff returns for 1,293 yards.

Last season for the Saints, he played in 15 games with one start and finished with 10 rushing attempts for 32 yards, 38 receptions for 296 yards with one touchdown and returned 15 kicks for 364 yards. Cadet scored his first career touchdown against the Patriots, a 3-yard TD reception when the Saints visited Gillette Stadium on Oct. 13, 2013.

GIANTS: The Giants cut prices for preseason tickets almost in half as part of a new program that will reduce the overall cost of a season package slightly for almost all fans.

The team said the price of preseason tickets will be cut by roughly 50 percent of the cost of a regular-season ticket.

The cost of the regular-season tickets for the eight home games will increase $10-$20 for “non-club” tickets, depending on location, and by $15-$25 for “club” game tickets, again depending on location.

Under the old package, the cost for preseason and regular-season games was the same.

49ers: San Francisco signed free-agent offensive lineman Erik Pears to a two-year contract. Pears spent the past five seasons in Buffalo and started all 16 games the past two years.

COWBOYS: Dallas met with free-agent defensive end Greg Hardy as it explores ways to improve a shaky pass rush from last season.

The 26-year-old Hardy could be suspended to start the season because of a conviction on two counts of domestic violence in North Carolina. The conviction was dismissed in February when his accuser couldn’t be found.

Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as he seeks reinstatement by the NFL.

RAIDERS: Running back Trent Richardson signed a two-year deal with Oakland with hopes that a new team can resurrect what once was a promising career.

CHARGERS: San Diego agreed to terms of a three-year contract with free-agent wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who’s looking to bounce back after two down years with Buffalo.

Johnson became the first player in Buffalo Bills history to have three straight 1,000-yard seasons, from 2010-12. His best season was 2010, when he had 82 catches for 1,073 yards.

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