I don't doubt whether or not Brees can play more than 3 or 5 years longer in the NFL, but I question the fact if he really wants to do that.

From what I've gathered, he seems smart enough to have a fulfilling career after football, and that career probably won't include avoiding getting tackled by 300+ pound guys, so he might opt out for a safer work environment.

We have to remember that even though the reconstruction surgery on his shoulder was a huge success, I would be surprised if that amount of damage wouldn't still affect his longevity as a QB. Especially with regards to his arm strength, and he might not see it as meaningful to play as long as he possibly can, so that his quality of life will be high after retiring from football.


Now, what I was wondering was that if a franchise tagged player chooses to sit out a year and not sign a tender, does that year still count as a tag year?

If it doesn't, then the Saints could in theory put the same exact tag on him next offseason without having to offer him the additional pay increase they'd have to offer a player entering his second year under the tag.

I'm not sure how this works, and I'm too lazy to research it at the moment, so if any of you guys know the answer - I'd surely appreciate knowing it.