The Drew Brees contract issue
 

I am choosing to look at it from a different perspective. I know this will not alleviate anyone's heartburn, but it is really not as bad as some are portraying.

1. Even if he does not get a contract, he is Franchise tagged and that means he is not going anywhere but N.O...
2. Could he sit out a season? Theoretically yes he could, but that is not his personality, and i think at this point in his career sitting out a season would hurt him more than it would help him. If he sat out a season it could possibly damage his HoF chances. It will definitely damage his value next season, as not being on the field for a season puts him in the backs of peoples minds and not in the front. It would also put him as 3rd best QB in the league behind Rogers, and Brady... Remember who was considered the best QB in the league two years ago... P. Manning, and where is he now in that discussion? An after thought.
3. Who is the last future HoFer that sat out for a season because of a lack of contract? Exactly... they don't. They may hold out longer than we would like but eventually they are playing that season.
4. There is also a lot of talk about him needing to sign and get in gear because we are with out Sean Payton this year... Yes we are, but that is not a Drew Brees problem, that is a Saints front office problem so I would caution holding that against him.

Something to note, and it helps understand Brees position. The players are not "full time" employees of the New Orleans Saints (E.G. front office people, dome employees, etc...) In reality they are contract employees, consultants if you will, that live from contract to contract that can be terminated at any time. There is no long term disability, easy job while he recovers, etc... if he has a career ending injury the second game of the year. He is done. So it only makes sense to push as hard as he can for front end loaded, guaranteed money. While the CBA may actually give some relief it is not going to be any where near his salary and it will only cover medical costs, it will not serve as income.

Fans tend to look at the dollar amount of a contract and feel like pushing for more is greedy. Drew Brees is a business and he is in the business of Drew brees... Not the New Orleans Saints...and businesses will get every dollar they can for a product...

Drew was not born a Saint. At one point in his life he was a Charger... and when he got hurt, they let him go.

Love your points. I'll add some, and give some perspective as well. Here are some reasons you might want this to go to the last minute. Or at least past OTAS and still not be worried.

1. Age
Drew Brees is 33 years old, for all intents and purposes this is very well his last contract as a Pro Football player, why not milk it for all you can. Wouldn't you. No way he sits a season now, First ballot HOF is on the line.

2. Leader
Overrated, there are plenty of capable vets who can grab the reigns of this team until Drew is available. Do you think his leadership qualities will diminish when he is available. He's not leading 53 rookies into battle. It just helps is all.

3. Miles on Arm
Drew threw a driving vacations worth of yards last season, I think Mickey Loomis could have gotten this deal done months ago but, why Drew needs this time to rest, recooperate, recover........ Why do you need him for weightraining, or OTAs when you already know he will come in, in great shape with a complete, COMPLETE, grasp of the offense. Unnecessary......

Patience....... So hard to have, especially when all you see on ESPN or NFL network is they must sign DREW....... which brings me to my last point!!!

4. Network coverage.......
You do realize that the Saints have ESPN by the balls right now. They reported a story about Mickey Loomis without factual evidence. Or maybe you've forgotten wiretaps fully. There execs haven't. Anything else they can do to throw our fans in a tizzy and keep there minds off of ESPN collosal **** up is cool with them...
I think the term my mom use to say is take everything they say with a grain of salt!!!!!!!

I just wanted to reiterate this.

drew has what? another two maybe 3 years left in the tank. age or desire to play will bring an end to his days in the nfl.

how many people really think he will last 5 more years?

http://www.the-medium-is-not-enough....ndollarman.jpg

We can rebuild him

If he stays in good shape he could feasibly play into his early forties. He has a good line to protect him and gets rid of the ball quickly so he has less time to get hit.

better...stronger...faster..

Brees is already in the gym, and throwing everyday.
He's not waiting for OTA's or training camp.
When he shows up he will be ready to go.
It doesn't matter if it's early or late, he will come ready.

"already?"... What what I gather, he puts the hamper down the hall just so he can spiral his socks into a tight opening...

He throws the laundry hamper open.

:lol:, lot of good points but this one made me think ... Brees threw for 5,476yds, nobody drives that many miles in a vacation unless you're the Griswolds ... Chevy Chase does look a little bit like Drew, :lol: ... but seriously, the more I see/read about 'the contract', the more I think it's just one of those things that will get done in time, regardless, and 'patience' was probably the best point you made.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog....s-vacation.jpg

The only thing Drew can do is stay wherever he is until the check clears. 10 business days...

I am calm now. I have become with my inner zen as far as the Brees contract goes.

OOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Isn't Peyton Manning 2 years older than him and just signed a 5 year deal?
I still don't understand where all this 2-3 years left in Drew Brees is coming from.

Manning signing a 5-year deal is one thing ... Manning playing out a 5-year deal is quite another ... not that I don't think Drew has more mileage left on him then Manning, just think Manning should have retired and Brees' is getting up there ... IDK if using Manning as a benchmark comparison to Brees really fits.

Maybe...

Steve Young 40 when he retired.
Kurt Warner 38 when he retired and I sure he still had a year or 2 left until his wife told him to quit.
If the NFL is truly "quarterback friendly" Drew should be fine.
Sorry I'm just in a debating mood today.

Average career length of a QB in the NFL that has played more than 1 year is 6.6 years.

Drew is going on 12.....

Only a handful of NFL quarterbacks have had 10+ year careers.

It has nothing to do with age (well not entirely)..

Its seasons/games started and beat half to death that counts.

Warner was 27 when he started and only started in 10 seasons. He actually only has 3 seasons where he started 16 games.

I would say to gauge the life of a QB in the NFL you have to go off of games started.... Every game takes a little bit out of them.


Every Game for a starting QB against the Saints in 2009 took a whole lot out of them.

Yeah, those are better comparisons then Manning, and I think about Elway, Marino, Unitas and a few other great QB's, their careers and how they played/retired when I think about Drew Brees and this being possibly his last contract, and I'm thinking he'll be smart enough to know when it's time to hang 'em up, unlike Manning ... which is why I'm inclined to agree with the 2-3/3-4 seasons left theories ... Drew's played a lot of football.

Interesting comment by Warren Moon on Sirius NFL...

What are the possibilities that the Saints FO intends on giving Drew the contract that he wants but is making him sweat a little because of the part he played in the lockout last year? Which was fairly significant in regards to his participation in the negotiations.

Exactly.... It's all about football mileage

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.

Remember in 2010 all the speculation that he was playing injured.... Under thrown interceptions.... I am sure his shoulder has less than spectacular days.