Updated Drew info:
 

According to ESPN the money is right. The years is what is holding it up. 18 mil a year is what they agreed upon but drew wants it front loaded. He wants 23 a year fir the first 3 years.

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees are millons of dollars apart on a new contract as the Monday franchise tag deadline draws near, sources tell ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The two sides, both of whom believe they are making a fair offer, are facing a gap of $5 million per season for the first three seasons of the proposal, sources told Schefter.

Brees, who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl championship and broke Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record last season, is seeking a contract that averages $23 million per season for the first three years of his deal, sources told Schefter. That's the same amount Peyton Manning's contract averages the first three seasons.


Drew Brees
#9 QB
New Orleans Saints
2011 STATS
Att
657
Comp
468
Yds
5476
TD
46
Int
14
Rat
110.6
The Saints are offering Brees a five-year contract that averages $18 million a year, sources told Schefter. That's the same average that Manning and New England's Tom Brady are due to earn over the life of their deals.

If the two sides cannot make considerable progress from where they are now, the Saints will be forced to use their franchise tag on Brees by the Monday deadline.

Brees has said he is confident a deal will get done by the deadline.

If the Saints can get Brees signed to a long-term contract extension, they would have the flexibility to use their tag on another player. What makes this important is that the Saints have two other marquee free agents, wide receiver Marques Colston and Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks.

The 2011 offensive player of the year arrived in New Orleans in 2006, less than a year after Hurricane Katrina struck. Since then, Brees has passed for more yards (28,394) than any other quarterback in the NFL while lifting the Saints to new heights and simultaneously helping the region heal from Katrina's devastation.

In 2011, Brees set NFL single-season records with 468 completions, 5,476 yards passing and a completion percentage of 71.2. His prolific passing numbers helped the Saints set a new NFL high for total offensive yards in a season with 7,474.

The 33-year-old Brees led the Saints to a 13-3 regular-season record and second NFC South division title. New Orleans defeated Detroit in the first round of the playoffs before falling in the final seconds of its divisional-round game at San Francisco.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Well...should I say somewhat reassuring, in terms of the money at least being right???? Still....let's git'r done already!!!!

Us mere mortals would be lucky to get close to earning 1 million in a lifetime and he can turn down 18 mil because it isn't more than manning or Brady.
I know drew is worth the money, just saying this is absurd

:popcorn:

Feeling conflicted...I love Brees, but dang, where does it stop? Guess I'll watch this train wreck til the bitter end.

Wouldn't the saints want it front loaded in the form of a signing bonus as well?

and, 18 is the right number. Hard to complain about

CBSSports.com's Larry Holder reports Drew Brees rejected an offer prior to the 2011 season that would have made him the highest-paid player in the NFL.

This gibes with recent reports that hint Brees has been more demanding than expected, especially after suggestions that he "doesn't want or expect" his contract to prevent the Saints from re-signing other key players. NFL teams can get awfully creative with the cap, but $22-23 million per year for the quarterback would certainly be a hurdle in locking up players such as Carl Nicks and Marques Colston.

Source: Larry Holder on Twitter

Well I guess this ends the "why didn't we address this last year" argument.

OF COURSE! Look, let's stop drinking to Cool-Aid. Brees is a player in the NFL, he's not the savior of New Orleans or everyone's best-est friend. This is football and this is a business. Say what you want but Brees has pushed this to the limit.

If we waste a franchise tag over this, you throw all that "I'm going to do what's in the best interest of the team" BS out the window. Best interests of the team RIGHT NOW is for Drew to take 18 mil a year and free-up the franchise tag now rather than drag this out through Monday.

I love Drew. I love him as our QB, but I also know this is reality and not reality TV.