More than meets the eye on Brees deal
 

I have spent the past couple of weeks trying to defend the Saints front office, Drew Brees and his agent Tom Condon from people on this board, and others, with differing schools of thought. Things are not as simple and clear cut as those of us not in the know think.

First, of course Drew Brees knows what is going on in the negotiations, but I will guarantee you that he agreed upon hiring Condon that Condon would negotiate the best deal possible and present it to Brees when he feels it is right. He probably warned Brees that he may hear or read things in the news and on social media that he may not like, but in order for Condon to do his job effectively he needs full latitude. If Brees is who we have thought he was all along, would renege on the deal and fire Condon? No, he would stick by the agreement and let the professionals at working out deals do their jobs.

Second, Condon would have also told Brees that it was likely that he would be tagged and that it would help out Condon's other client, Carl Nicks. If Brees has any character at all he would hope for the best for his friend. Brees knows that if Nicks got the tag the Saints would not be able to work out a long term deal and Nicks would hold out. Now, the Saints have just as good a chance of signing Nicks as anyone else.

Next, and an issue that has not been addressed much here, is the fact that this year's salary cap number has not yet been determined and published by the league. All teams have five days from today to get in compliance with the cap and they don't even know what it is yet! I absolutely do not expect anything to happen with Brees before then.

I expect other smaller pieces to be in place before either side knows what is available for Brees' contract. Will Smith's restructuring and Brian de la Puente's signing yesterday are but a couple of those key pieces.

Another important note that many seem to not understand is the difference between the overall amount of the deal and the structure of the deal. Yes, the Saints offered Brees the largest contract in the history of the game. But, its was much more back-loaded than that given to Manning and Brady. The offer averaged over $18 million per year with that amount spread fairly evenly. Brady and Manning got well over $20 million guaranteed over the first three years with the back-end not being loaded as high. What this means is if Brees was for some reason not able to complete his contract (injury, retirement, etc.) he would lose out on a sizable chunk of that back-end money because those final two years would not have been guaranteed.

I fully expect the two parties to meet somewhere in the middle on the structure. But first, the parameters must all be in place. Both sides have to know what there is to work with before they can hammer out the details.

I want this thing done just as badly as any of you, but attacking the front office and attacking Brees does not help matters at all. This will most likely be Brees' final contract of his career and he absolutely must be assured that it is done right. And this is a pivotal point in the Saints' history and they need to make sure they do it right. Personally, I don't care if it take another four months to get everything worked out as long as they do get it worked out.

And I have no doubt they will.

Another thing, most teams renegotiate between one and two years prior to a big name player's contract ending, so putting more money in the back of the contract is doubly bad for the player since those are the years that are going to get renegotiated and rolled into the next contract. To put it another way, If you look at the 5-year deal, the player averages 18.5m or whatever, but in reality a new contract will be signed after year 3 or 4, and the player's average salary over the course of those 5 years will be much much higher (since they will get another front-loaded contract.) In reality, Condon couldn't care less about the last 2 years of the contract, and pushing more money into them in order to make the contract look bigger is not going to make him happy.

I'm willing to be patient.

Not knowing the cap reallly stifles the whole process which is the NFL's fault, not the Saints.

And it doesn't hurt anything either. This is a web site with ZERO bearing on the contract negotiations of Drew Brees or anyone else. Nadda. If you don't like what you're reading then stop reading. Move on to a thread where the topic of conversation is not Drew's contract status. Simple.

You may not LIKE to read how fans are upset at what seems to be a refusal to sign a contract by a man who has done everything he possibly could up to now to paint himself as a team player. You don't have to drop by to tell the people who post here how stupid or ignorant they are for expressing their opinion on the subject.

I am well aware of the reason the deal isn't signed. You are too. It's not amount, it the placement of 15 million dollars. I've already said I totally understand that, even for Drew, that's a lot of money.

As for agents and players and contract negotiations, you're no smarter than the average bear here. I've been watching professional sports and following along with this male Soap Opera for a very long time. I know as much as you or anyone else about 'how it works' with the exception of he parties directly involved.

People are pissed. We have a right to be pissed. If Drew paraded around like Terrell Owens we might feel differently. We might have different expectations. We might say, "well, that's TO. He's a Diva. We knew this was coming."

But Drew isn't TO. He has preached TEAM - and I believe him. I really do. I've seen him deflect credit he was surely due to others on the TEAM. He works hard and is accountable. He more than any other player can be viewed as the savior of our franchise. He has stated on more than one occasion that he wanted to do everything he could to keep the team together. He has also said that he understands it's a business as we all do. Clearly "everything he could do" does not include the deferment of 15 million dollars over three years. Hey, it's his money, and that's a lot of money and I get it. But I'll bet you my left nut that he is very much in control of the situation and has not put the whole deal on Condon cruise control as some have suggested. Bull Puckey. It was DREW that said he wanted that 15 million up front. If not Condon would have not negotiated for it.

We have a right to express how we feel. I for one am going to keep on doing it. And if you continue to state that you know more about the process of negotiating a contract in the NFL than I do then me and you will just have to have it out I guess. I get what you're saying. I read you. Cooler heads will prevail. I'm fairly certain of that too, and I want Drew on this team as much as the next guy and maybe more, but I don't want to see the team fail because it made a cap mistake. Many teams have done just that.

I posted this on another board. Of course the people on that board just follow the general consensus of the board like sheep to the slaughter instead of thinking for themselves like people here do. One reason lwhy I think this board is the best of all sports message boards


"Nobody knows why Brees did not take the contract. This idea that it is out of greed is pure speculation. For all we know he is waiting to get other key players signed before he signs his contract in order to see just how much mony is left for him to keep the team together and get the best deal for himself. It could have something to do with boutygate, or it could be all Condons fault. The fact of the matter is we have no idea what is going on. Those of you that call him greedy are judging him without all the info"

And some simply want to counter the "pay the man" idiots with an equally uninformed "Brees is Greedy" response.

cap # is supposed to be out tomorrow

everybody be cool. you can be full of it, or you can think I'm full of it, and we can still be alright.

One area where our opinion counts is that many of us here are season
ticket holders.

I sure hope the salary standard across the league reflects the money paid by television, and doesnt require an increase in the tickets, concessions, or parking. If only the upper crust can afford the games, who would sit in the Terrace? We would turn into Jacksonville, or lame ass Reliant Stadium. Also, we are big consumers of NFL merchandise.

Again, I'd like to mention that I paid $75 to fill up my gas tank this week.

They SHOULD listen to us.

Have I told you I love you :mrgreen: LMAO!

AG,

Thanks for the explanation. Not that I am stupid about NFL contract negoiations.... it doesn't impact my life. If that makes sence. I am the type of person who wants to hear stuff straight from the horses mouth. The more Drew lets the fans' ideas of what is going on, is only going to put that much more bitterness in the way they think of Drew.

I think in most of my post reguarding this topic; I have said Drew needs to let the fans know, from his mouth, what is going on and what his intentions are. I am frustrated about the whole thing. I'm not going to lie about it. But I don't want to be told "You're dumb, shut up, you don't know what you are talking about".

What I am is a Fan of the New Orleans Saints. My team is currently being blasted about being cheaters and how they shouldn't have won the SuperBowl and blah blah blah. My teams QB hasn't signed a contract with the team and seems as if he holding out for mo money mo money mo money. I know a deal is gonna get done. Drew will be a Saint. But I want to know now. Is that a fault...yes. But in the end I want what is best for this team.

I think Brees knows that this year is probably his last chance to get an offer that big. Next year his value will go down due to his age and teams will be weary of paying him that kind of money. I think we kind of have him over a barrel.

I feel differently. Just look at what the Vikings gave to Favre at the age of 40, something like 20 million gauranteed...

For one year. BREES wants a long term contract.

how can the league hold teams to deadlines for contracts and free agency when the most important component to the teams negotiations is missing??? goodell is a horrible comissioner...horrible. dates need to be consistent with dealing with monies is any business. this league is really run terribly. it makes you think "what is he doing" and it makes me feel like he is on vacation alot

I understand where you are coming from. Having followed this team from Day One back in 1967 I have come to take things in stride. I have also spent several years in the sports journalism business and know that quite a few things happen behind the scenes that are never public knowledge.

Believe me, this is tearing Drew up more than it is you, but he knows there is nothing that can be done except for letting the process take place.

It truly is. As a QA I person I like to operate on specifics. I don't like things to be left floating in the Brees (no pun) if you know what I mean. How can you enforce a tag deadline when teams are not 100% certain the numbers they have to play with? Something like this is unacceptable on a small scale. Considering the stakes in play with the NF effing L it's just plain stupid.

Goodell needs to step down. The 'bounty' fiasco, the players uncertainty with how they are supposed to play the game. The flag football rules implemented into the professional sport. The owners should impeach his ass.

I'm with you Guido. I don't take anything personal and I thank you for sheading some light on how this circus is run.

Is it me, or is BUSINESS getting in the way of carrying a sewn-together pigskin the length of a football field and winning by scoring more points than the opposing team?

Alaska

Welcome to 21st century professional sports.

Hell AG, that was 20th century as well.:p

Only the tail end, Danno!

AsylumGuido,

Thank you very much for your post.

I really hope you are right about everything you wrote. Thanks for keeping a level head for the rest of us...

~Stephen