Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

The New Orleans Saints wanted Drew Brees as their quarterback. That was never the issue. They also had to be realists and gauge their 37-year-old signal-caller year to year at this stage of his career.

Brees has expressed publicly that he wanted to play the rest of his career (until he's 40 and possibly beyond) with the Saints. He wanted to remain with the team that helped him craft a likely Hall of Fame resume.

The Saints and Brees signed off on what is for all intents and purposes a one-year extension through the 2017 season; Brees will receive $44.25 million guaranteed for this season and next, a source confirmed. The deal in total is for five years, but seasons 2018-20 are voidable by the team.

http://image.nola.com/home/nola-medi...f3ea97269a.JPG

It's human nature to proclaim a winner and a loser in everything nowadays.

You look at the structure of this deal and probably came away thinking the Saints "won." It's a short-term deal. Brees' cap number in 2016 would drop from $30 million to a reported $17.25 million this season. And would likely be manageable in 2017.

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Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

Great, glad the deal was done.

Let go get it!

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

Hell, I'd like to take one for the team at ~25 mil...

Happy for his financial success, happy the team won't be crippled with cap numbers after he's gone...

Now let's let coach finish his last minute madness and get to some football...

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

What is the reason for clearing up cap room for this season? Is there another move for this year and if not , wouldn't it make sense to give him more money this year?

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

Explained in the other thread that unused cap carries over to the following year. This creates more flexibility.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

Whether or not any unused cap space is carried over to next year, it took too long to get this done and left very limited opportunity to upgrade holes THIS year. I would expect an aggressive approach next off-season, and that's nice, but it doesn't help this year. Glad the deal is done, but it changes little in this current season. As long as Drew is here this team shouldn't be playing the "wait 'til next year" game to address things. I know they made some moves that we believe to have upgraded the defense, but man, it sure would have been nice to have a better line for Drew.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

The jury is still out on the line, metal. Let's wait to see them in real action. I honestly don't think they'll be anywhere near as porous as some around here think.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

I seriously hope that you are right. But this is pretty much the same group from a year ago, and you have two guys who are old by lineman standards, so it's not like those two can be expected to get better. There seems to be an expectation that Peat "should" be better, but the preseason didn't give any indication of that. So I just don't know what else I should be expecting of them as a group.

It's not the end of the world bad, but it does have a significant impact on the ability to run this offense.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

I break it down this way, at LT we have arguably one of the top three players at his position in the league. At LG we have a highly touted highly drafted tackle that has been shifted around the line for over a year. The final few games of last season he really started looking good. At center we have a perennial pro-bowl player. At RG we have a former multi-year pro-bowler that spent all of last season fighting back from a February wrist surgery. It is hard to block when you can't push with one of your hands. And at RT we have what is still regarded in the league as well above average at his position. Last season he had to cover more for Evans and his bad wrist. Evans is now supposedly fully recovered.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

I dont expect to see the 2006-2013 Evans but i think he will be better. If Peat can get himself going we are good. As much as people knock Lelito and Kelemete they are well above average for back up linemen. Not many teams will have better on the bench.

I feel far more optimistic than a few days back.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

We absolutely have one of the best left tackles in the league and a very good center. No argument there.

I don't really agree on the rest. Strief is just not that good as a starter. He has been particularly bad over the last couple of years, going back before any injury to Evans. As for Evans, himself, he has been steadily regressing for a couple of years as well. I would like to believe that he would still be good enough now that he's healthy, but unfortunately he's been cut twice this year. I don't see any realistic reason to believe that he's going to be just fine now that he's healthy.

Then you have the other guard spot which is just bad. Lelito and Kelemete just don't cut it as starters. I think Kelemete seems like a nice backup. Not so sure about Lelito. Now Peat is apparently starting there and I don't know what this talk about him looking good down the stretch last year is about. I have yet to see him prove adequate at any position.

I'd like to be wrong about that. Maybe I will be. But I am not seeing much past Armstead and Unger.

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

Re: Drew Brees' new contract takes one for the team
 

We all won.