Question for the forum
 

Is there any possibility that this bounty scandal, coupled with the Brees contract negotiations, could turn Brees against the Saints enough that he could leave?

No way!! I know it is a defense thing but I am quite sure the whole team knows what was going on. This is only shocking to us and others because the media and NFL make it sound like we were trying to send people to the hospital.

That is pretty close to what was going on.

So THEY would have you believe!

No.

No, I think Brees knows bounties are simply defensive guys having fun, and that it doesn't change the way any players approaches the game at all.

He's not stupid enough to make anything more out of it.

Do we get to Tag him again next year !

Can you do that? How much does that count against the salary cap?

Yes we can tag him next year and the year after..BUT the amount goes up by 20% the second time and 40% the third time.

Well he still would be cheaper this and next year than what he wanted ;)

Hmmm, with the expected huge increase in the 2014 cap, this may not have been a bad move.

It'll hurt us a bit in 2013, but we'll benefit greatly in 2014.

I think the amount was like 56 mil total for tagging him 3 times

So what you are saying is that, this might not be a bad move?

From a numbers point of view yes, but from a PR standpoint it remains to be determined.

I want Brees long term, but I'm not comfortable with not being able to upgrade the rest of the team because of him.

How could we still get Colston and Nicks under contract?

We won't. If we got 1 of them it will most likely be Colston. So we are just going to let our pro bowl guard go wherever and get a big fat 0 in return. Thanks Drew!

A lot of people believe that Loomis's position in negotiating was that the tag set the value for the first and second season at roughly 16 and 18 million and that's what was holding things up. So yes, the leverage Brees has is that he is likely worth on the open market what he was asking, but that the Saints position was that he wasn't going to be on the open market and with these deals he lacks the security of a long term deal.

On the flip side, Brees does not have to sign the tender right away and could use the fact he isn't technically under contract to skip ota's and the start of training camp without incurring fines. Not sure if he will do that or not.

The biggest drawback on using the tag for Brees is that it can't be used on Nicks or Colston and the 16 million of the tag is immediately deducted from cap space until a long term deal is worked out to reduce that figure.

I wonder if this isn't Loomis pressuring Condon/Brees to sign, or it will hurt the team overall?

If Brees truly is interested in keeping our key players (which I now doubt), then this pressures him to sign before Monday.

This may be a brilliant move by Loomis. I'm simply not smart enough to put all the pieces together.

The funny thing is he was trying to get rid of the TAG during the CBA talks. Came back back to bite him in the a**. For someone who is very smart, that was dumb.

It may be a pressure move but not for the reason you mentioned. It's more sign our deal or play under a one year contract for less than the avg value of what we offered. And with that comes the risk of injury....etc.

Who are you? Just curious.

LOL Danno !

Just a fan. why?

I told you why.

Just keep it clean guys. If Drew gets hurt next year he's done

He never gets hurt... Oh wait... nevermind.:p

People are angry at Brees now...imagine how it will be when he holds out of OTA's and training camp as leverage to get the deal he wants. This isn't over yet.

Thats not going to happen. Well maybe. what if he hears the boooooooos at trainning camp.

I'm with you Danno. I've begun to have my doubts too about Drew being a team player. It's really disappointing, however I may look back on this as an overreaction. Still there is a slim possibility that we lose two of the three top players.

I guess this just hasn't changed my opinion of him at all. He's doing what all top athletes do. Every now and then a lower level athlete takes less, but it is rare. In pretty much every sport, players want the best deal they can get. They may rearrange how the dollars are distributed some, but ultimately they always go the for the most money. That's why they hire agents whom they trust immensely.

And you don't think any of these other teams weren't trying to do the same thing to Brees. Just for starters, example #1, Green Bay game, right around the 13min. mark of the second quarter, twice, GB tried to hurt Drew Brees. The first was a high, low hit on Drew just like the one they're complaining about with us against Farve. Example #2 just a play or two later, Matthews pile drives Drew Brees to the ground, same play we got called and fined for against the Falcons. This is all complete BS and if no other teams get the SAME EXACT TREATMENT by this POS commissioner, then I'd think there is room for a law suit. I can go through ALL the other games of the season and come up with NUMEROUS times other teams did the exact same thing to Drew as we did to any other QB and they get nothing??? BS!!!

The biggest ramifications I think from the bounty scandal would be a long term Sean Payton suspension.

Here's a really crazy thought.....what if this was all part of a Grand Plan? Brees is franchised in case Goodell overreacts to the "bounty" issue, and Brees' salary under the Franchise Tag allows them to sign the FA's they need to keep the team largely intact? (ie: Nicks and Colston) Brees and his agent have an "agreement" that the Saints will ensure he is properly paid after this whole thing blows over.

OK...maybe this is stupid, but when you're grasping at straws...GRAB "EM ALL!!

I don't think thats such a far fetched thought. I almost feel this is exactly what happened. If we were going to Franchise Drew all along, we would have done it earlier.

Of course the gloom and doom answer is that there's nothing preventing Goodell from still taking the tag and leaving the Saints in a lurch making Brees an UFA.

But I never believed the tag was really in play for punishment for all that crap. The only credible source who floated it was Florio.

I think the tag on Brees is designed to try to leverage a long-term deal prior to March 15 and to create some cost certainty so Loomis knows how much room he has for the other players.

A nice thought, but in my current state of depression I have to deem it as wishful thinking.