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Well, now we know why Jonathan Vilma was in Philadelphia, and what he was getting a second opinion on.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Saints linebacker is having knee surgery today.

Vilma is expected to miss the rest of the preseason, but is expected to be ready for the regular season opener.

Vilma’s viability has been a question on several levels. He missed six games last year because of knee problems, and had to take a pay cut just to keep his spot with the Saints.

There’s also a reasonable question of how good a fit he is in a 3-4 defense, and that question will now have to be answered without the benefit of preseason snaps to work on it.