jeanpierre

AsylumGuido

As I stated earlier, the "pseudo one year deal" with Brees will once again be finalized after all other deals have been inked and they (both sides) know how it needs to be structured to best fit this year's magic by Wizard Loomis. This will most likely take place just prior to training camp.

jeanpierre

Plus, it keeps other teams from knowing what our exact cap number will be should we be in the hunt, competing with other teams for free agents...

Hopefully that would include two new guards like RG Brandon Scherff and LG Joe Thuney and perchance a speedy outside WR threat?

TheOak

For the last couple years Brees's deals were inked in March and this year will be no different.

They have until CoB March 17th 2020 or the deal he is presently under voids and a $21.3MM Dead Cap number hits. A restructure has to happen before March 18th to circumvent the void and dead money associated with it. An inked deal has to be in place, not a theoretical deal for the details to be worked out later. If you recall Drew restructured on 14th March 2019 so the Saints could avoid the same fate, the 2018 deal was inked 13th March. There will be a new deal in place in 57 days. Last one was to avoid $10.8M in dead cap, this one will be to avoid $21.3MM... I suspect next year the same will happen to avoid $30MM +/- in dead cap.

This is why the title of the thread assumes Brees is holding the team hostage because its extend him or dead money.. but Drew is not holding anyone hostage, this is Loomis working cap space. The Patriots also started doing similar for Brady.

Possible solutions:
- Drew has two years left, when the toll hits 30M we will have a new QB (probably drafted, or Taysom) and that year our positional spending for a QB will be 30M dead space+ the new QB hit.

- Drew restructures for somewhere between $1,045,000 (league minimum) and $15MM putting his total cap hit at $21.3MM and $30MM with no void language for march 2021 which kills the downward spiral. This leaves no room for Teddy and a little room for Taysom. I suspect Taysom's contract to be real cap friendly for the next two years then escalate.

Either way there is actually a means to end this and Teddy Bridgewater isn't our next QB due to cost. Loomis and Brees both knew this sort of structuring was a means to an end of the Drew Brees era. He could potentially be a Saint in 2022 but it shouldn't be at a strangling cost.