New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - SportsNOLA.com New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is getting ready to start contract talks with quarterback Drew Brees in earnest

New Orleans Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and quarterback Drew Brees have found common ground on one area this week: They can't stand the prospect of watching Super Bowl XLVI with New Orleans not in it.

Brees, in Indianapolis for promotional purposes Thursday, said he was getting out of town before the game. Loomis, poring over complex payroll projections and college talent evaluations in his Metairie office, said the Super Bowl thrill is gone.
"Hey, listen, I'm still trying to swallow the disappointment of us not being there," Loomis said. "I watched a little bit of the championship games two weeks ago, but it's hard to get interested. It's not going to be appointment television for me."
The two will have to clear their appointment desks and find more common ground soon. Brees' contract has expired, which means Loomis and the Saints must figure out how to retain or otherwise lose the most significant player in franchise history. Notched just below Brees on Loomis' to-do list are new contracts with wide receiver Marques Colston and guard Carl Nicks, two key components of an offense that won 41 games the past three seasons, including Super Bowl XLIV, and cornerback Tracy Porter, whose interception sealed that championship victory.
Loomis once again declined to discuss specifics of negotiations with Brees, which he expects will begin in earnest after the Super Bowl. He acknowledged there are singular aspects to the Brees contract, given both the success and Brees' larger place within the New Orleans community, but the situation is not unprecedented. The franchise faced a similar, if admittedly lower priority, with popular running back Deuce McAllister, and in his previous job with the Seahawks, Loomis worked out a deal with Hall of Fame wide receiver Steve Largent, the most important player in Seahawks history at that time.
In addition, although it happened with less fanfare, Loomis noted he also negotiated last year a contract extension with Coach Sean Payton, a matter Loomis pointed out also involved a person of considerable importance to the Saints' emergence as perennial playoff contenders.
"It is a little unique because of the success of our team over the last six years, and obviously how Drew has represented our organization and the city," Loomis said. "It's not unique, though, in the sense that I've negotiated contracts before with our best player. So, yes, it's a little different, but it's not completely different. None of them are the same, but there's obviously similarities.
"Now, all that being said, the magnitude of Drew -- first of all, the magnitude of the contract, the magnitude of his importance being the quarterback and the leader and the face of the franchise, all those things, if I had to rank them all, obviously he'd be No. 1. In the import of those, he'd obviously rank No. 1."
The sides ceased negotiations during the season at Brees' request, and Loomis reiterated that would have no bearing on future talks. Loomis also made it clear that, although Brees is the top priority and ... (You must click here to continue reading the rest!)