I am all for DB getting paid... and when I say a home team discount I am saying meet in the middle.... take $21 rather than $23 (this assumes the Saints are offering 21).... That still sets the standard for being what he is.... THE BEST FRIGGIN QB ON THE PLANET........

But now is the time for him to get out on Airline Drive..... We need his leadership now more than ever....

Just give him a blank check, surround him with junior college talent and watch the results. How much money do we have to deal with under the salary cap? More complicated than just pay the man. Drew is great and makes everyone around him better, however, he certainly is not surrounded by crap!

Vilma's suspension frees up 4.5 million, I believe...

with all of the scandal after another coming out, all i need is news of drew signing and i will be satisfied

I agree. I would never bash Drew or anything like that, but this is getting bothersome. Not worrisome, mind you, as I do believe he'll get signed, but it really rubs me the wrong way that with everything going on, he would pick this time to disappear over a contract dispute.

In a perfect world the Saints would be able to give Drew anything he wants, and he would deserve it, but he has to know that they just can't give him that. If I am not mistaken, Peyton Manning is the highest paid quarterback in the league at 19.5 million a year. That means if Brees made 20 mil a year (or 19.6 if you want to be technical) he would be the highest paid QB. So what is it about 23 that he covets so much? Mickey Loomis is trying to keep his targets around him and build a defense to help him. What makes Drew think the Saints can just throw the kitchen sink at him? I love Drew to death, but this is not a good example he's currently setting. Ditch the agent and sign already!

It will be about 1.5 million saved now, because he had already restructured, but it's the same difference, basically.

I know we're getting a lot of bad news about the Saints and signing Brees would definitely be good news, but this really isn't that important I guess. We're talking about football and I'm as big a Saints' fan as anyone, but it is a game. The deal will get worked out.

The asking price of $23 isn't too far off from that. Manning (Denver) is getting a straight 5 year $20 million/year contract. A million more is $21 million. So the $23 isn't that far off from that.

Personally I don't think the dollars are the issue, but the structure. Drew/Condon are going to want this contract to be frontloaded, which will put a heavy burden on the Saints salary cap. The Saints will want to backload it, so that in the unfortunate event that Drew declines in years 4 or 5, they can move in a different direction without breaking the bank.

Fans (as always) just want it done. But the primaries in the negotiation need to be able to be mostly happy with the final outcome because once the contract is signed, then both will be on the same team for quite a while. So Drew should not take a lowball or a hometown discount, nor should the Saints overpay.

I expect that now that the player suspension damage is finally done, that it'll move much quicker. I'll bet that average will come in between $21 and $22 million a year, with a balance on the loading. Neither side will get exactly what it wants, but neither side will be screwed either. Which is exactly the way it should be.

SFIAH

Maybe they were waiting to see if Drew was going to get suspended...