Decision on Jermon Bushrod could be the most important to the New Orleans Saints
 

Jermon Bushrod is not the most high-profile player of the New Orleans Saints' 29 unsigned free agents. And his contract negotiations certainly won't command the same attention as those of tailback Reggie Bush when the NFL finally gets back to business.

Ultimately, though, Bushrod may be the most important player for the Saints to retain. And he may be the most expensive.

That's the nature of the left tackle position in the NFL -- arguably the second-most important job in the game behind quarterback.

Full article below.
Decision on Jermon Bushrod could be the most important to the New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com

We need to keep this guy.. We have had some consistency with our O line now, and the chemisrty is their, Don' mess up a good thing... Drew is Getting a little older we need to protect him.. GEAUX SAINTS

I like and want him to remain a Saint. What I don't want is to lock him up for the next 5 or 6 years at 6 or 7 million per season. Being that he's 27, plays left tackle, and considered in the prime age of his career, one would think someone will shell out big dollars and gamble on him. I could definitely see him going for greener pastures.

CB is nowhere near ready. Unless you expect the same type of performance you got from JB

Bushrod stays.

He's probably one of the top 20 LT's in the NFL, but his issues with protection were so well-documented and besides, there are too many other good options.

Like who?

Typed 'are not'. Deleted some text and missed it. Sorry - been a long day and this vino is really good.

How much is it going to take to sign him? He's a pretty good tackle but I wouldn't want us to pay great money for pretty good talent. If there truly isn't a better value out there we might have to bite the bullet and pay the man. Charles Brown has injury issues on top of everything else he's challenged with and we'd be in serious trouble if we had to count on him to anchor the left.

Man, I have such mixed feelings about this guy. He needed a lot of help his rookie year and a fair amount last year. He is an average player playing a critical position. Can't we give Brown the same type of help that Bushrod got? We can get by with him or we can promote his backup if he's ready. The way I see it if he stays here he could get a 2-3 year contract and then possibly traded away next year when Brown takes over.

I am not a huge fan of the guy. But this is not the year in FA to gamble. They have to sign him. Heck they need the OL intact this year. I do not see the replacements.

I like Bushrod. Seems to do a good job from where I sit. He protects Brees' blind side. Do we really want to roll the dice over there? I don't think so. I've seen his bad days and they have been few. Unitl there is a viable replacement, he's the man. Brown is unproven and we would have to pay for a vet FA to replace him if he walked. It all depends on what other teams thinks he may be worth to protect their young QB's. It's very possible, that our improved running game makes this spot a lot easier to manage, for a young Brown or some other athletic 24 year old (someone who can actually move their 285 lb feet).

And Bushrod knows he's an average NFL LT, and not much more. Of course there are a lot of teams that would love to upgrade their LT position with someone who is at least average.

Look for a 4 year deal at a modest price. He won't break the bank IMO.

The only way he bolts is if he knows Charles Brown is gaining on him quickly.