Re: Drew Brees applies deadline to talks with Saints on a new deal
 

Of course he is willing to redo his deal. He will get a huge chunk of money the day he does.

Re: Drew Brees applies deadline to talks with Saints on a new deal
 

You can believe that Brees isn't team oriented. However, it is dead flat wrong to assert that Brees held out at camp.

At the beginning of the league year in 2012 Drew Brees became a free agent. He was not a Saint from March of 2012 until July when he signed his contract. While he was tagged and tendered as exclusive franchise player, since the tender wasn't signed during that time Brees was not a part of the organization and could not participate in team activities because he was not under contract.

The arbitration case for number of times Brees was tagged wasn't settled until the first week in July. Brees signed one week later. All this happened before training camp started.

So at no time during that period did Brees hold out because of his agent.

C'mon folks. Just for a minute stop thinking like fans and understand this is a career and a business. The next contract Drew Brees signs is likely going to be his last in the NFL. Even at 38 he is one of the top three QBs in the league. The value of such QBs is approaching $25 million a year. If your current job was offering a 10% reduction of salary while some other organization was offering a 25% raise and all your dollars guaranteed, people would consider you a fool to stay "out of loyalty to the team". In fact they would tell you that you should consider that offer an insult because it clearly shows that your current organization doesn't value your contributions. Just because the money is on a different scale doesn't change the reasoning of why people consider offers or why market price is important.

It's not extorsion. It's just a tough situation. Brees is playing at a level where a team that only needs a QB piece may be willing to pony up that type money on a 2-3 year contract to get the brass ring. Think about a team that is close to the same situation as the Houston Texans were this year. The Saints will have to decide if they are one of those teams in that situation. This upcoming 2016 season can tell us a lot about that.

SFIAH

Re: Drew Brees applies deadline to talks with Saints on a new deal
 

Just not that simple. First off it's not "redoing a deal". Brees is in the last year of his current contract. He will be a free agent in 2017 if nothing gets done. This proposed extension is essentially a new contract. Since the only team leverage, the franchise tag is off the table due to its $44 million value, Brees' extension is going to have to be near market value. Honestly, no one really knows what that market is because of the rarity of healthy top 3 QBs becoming free agents. The last two times top 3 QBs (Brees 2005, Manning 2011) were free agents both were coming off significant, possibly career ending injuries. And both turned out to be worth it because both led their new franchises to championships.

The only way this gets done quickly is if one side or the other completely rolls over. That would mean Brees goes year to year at $20 million or so, or the team puts up the potential market of 3 years/$75 million/all guaranteed.

Neither side can afford to do that.

Brees has made $160 million in the last 10 years. It's not like he's hurting for cash. Like all players, and all organizations, he's willing to redo the deal at the right price point. I posit that will end up being a total value of $75 million, for 3 years, $50 million guaranteed, and likely another $40 million at signing, just like the last time.

But that isn't easy for either side. Brees could get more guaranteed. The team will still have a significant cap hit. It's going to hurt to get there. So it isn't going to happen quickly.

I feel like I need to ask it again. If the Saints had the opportunity to get Brady, Luck, or Rodgers, what kind of money should they be willing to put up to get them? That's the kind of contract the Saints needs to be structuring for Brees.


SFIAH

Re: Drew Brees applies deadline to talks with Saints on a new deal
 

Is it over yet.