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As the Saints try to squeeze key veteran players in the hopes of creating cap space, it seems inevitable that they’ll do some money shuffling with quarterback Drew Brees.

Via a so-called “simple” restructuring, Brees could have millions of 2013 base salary converted to a guaranteed payment that would drop his cap number significantly.

For example, $8.8 million of his $9.75 million base salary for 2013 could be shifted to a guaranteed payment, reducing his base salary for this year to the 10-plus-year veteran minimum of $940,000. Then, the $8.8 million would be spread over the remaining four years of his deal, dropping the cap number in 2013 by $6.6 million.

Here’s the problem, however. That would add another $2.2 million in cap charges to each of the final three years of the contract. Which means that the cap number in 2014 would move from $18.4 million to $20.6 million. Likewise, Brees’ cap number in 2015 would increase from $26.4 million to $28.6 million. And the cap number in the final year of his contract would grow from $27.4 million to $29.6 million.

With the salary cap not expected to spike in 2015, or ever, the Saints would be seeing a greater and greater percentage of their total cap space devoted to a player who, as Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune pointed out on PFT Live, already is the oldest member of the team.

In two years, when Brees is 36 and his cap number would be closing in on $30 million, the Saints and their franchise quarterback would be faced with a decision that, depending on how it turns out, could fundamentally alter the direction of the franchise.

Of course, even without a restructuring, Brees still has unprecedentedly gigantic cap numbers looming, at a time when the salary cap is barely growing.

Restructuring of Brees’ contract now could create major headaches later | ProFootballTalk

WhoDat!656

Sounds like a good problem to have!

Beastmode

Or, have Cleveland's dilema of a cap space as far as the eye can see with the hopes of making the playoffs even farther. Forget that, been there. Rather have a tight dress with a pretty lady squeezed in it.

halloween 65

Me to!!

Danno

Truedat! I'll bet there are about 20 other teams praying for a problem like that.

Halo

I've said it 10 times already - when Peyton Manning had his MONSTER contract in Indy, he "restructured" it every season until his departure. NFL organizations cannot handle that kind of a cap hit.

In the end, the players with the large contracts walk away with a windfall in profits, but NOT all from salary. The large contracts increase the overall value of the player, but those contracts rarely payout.

ChrisXVI

Seems like the simple answer is don't restructure Drew's contract. Plenty of other players making way more money than they deserve so approach them about it and if they aren't willing to do it... Cut them and create whatever extra cap space we can.

QBREES9

LOL me too.

Crusader

This is why Loomis is well compensated.

SmashMouth

I thought I read somewhere that the cap for all teams increases significantly next year then slows increases thereafter.