Drew Brees

[theprofessor]

You pay players to win? Well, coming off back to back 7-9 seasons Drew Greed needs to take a pay cut then. He lost! He is the reason the Saints are in this mess. His huge salary has caused the Saints to lose dozens of players who did contribute to winnings seasons. They are gone...Greed is still here....and we have lost. Slash that salary by 70% and let's start rebuilding a winning team again.

Not totally accurate. The Saints have also spent big money on some free-agent misses. Junior Galette's dead money after his explosion. Jairus Byrd has turned out to be an atrocious signing. Brandon Browner and C.J. Spiller were two dud moves from last offseason. I do believe Brees' cap hit has hindered the team and it needs to be brought back to a more manageable number, but he's not the sole reason the Saints have underperformed the past several seasons. Mickey Loomis deserves a great deal of the blame for his personnel moves.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Not totally accurate. The Saints have also spent big money on some free-agent misses. Junior Galette's dead money after his explosion. Jairus Byrd has turned out to be an atrocious signing. Brandon Browner and C.J. Spiller were two dud moves from last offseason. I do believe Brees' cap hit has hindered the team and it needs to be brought back to a more manageable number, but he's not the sole reason the Saints have underperformed the past several seasons. Mickey Loomis deserves a great deal of the blame for his personnel moves.

I agree FWIW.

However..

Exclusive: Saints GM pledges to give Brees extension, free up cap space
By Alex MarvezFeb 16, 2016 at 11:53p ET

Mickey Loomis says club wants 37-year-old QB 'this year, next year and the foreseeable future'

New Orleans Saints fans can rest easy — Drew Brees isn’t going anywhere for at least the next two seasons, and probably longer.
So says Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who plans to get Brees signed to a new deal as his star quarterback prepares to enter the final year of a five-year, $100 million contract signed in 2012.
An extension of Brees’ current deal would give the Saints salary-cap relief. Brees has a cap number of $30 million for the 2016 season, which will account for almost 20 percent of the team’s overall space. The cap number for each team, which is still being formulated by the NFL and its players union, is projected between $152 million and $155 million.
Loomis, though, told co-host Bill Polian and me Tuesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio that "it’s not mandatory we do something with Drew" before the free-agent signing period begins next month, even though New Orleans is perilously close to the cap limit. Loomis said the bigger impetus for striking a deal is tethering Brees to the franchise beyond this season.
"We want Drew to be our quarterback this year, next year and the foreseeable future," Loomis said. "I know he feels like he’s got more years left in him. I would say we feel that way as well.

"We’ll get that worked out in a way that helps our team and obviously fits in with what he wants to do."

T
hat being said, an agreement isn’t imminent. Loomis said that while he has expressed his desires to Brees, negotiations haven’t begun yet with agent Tom Condon.
Although he turned 37 in January, Brees showed no signs of slowing down in 2015. He missed one game after injuring his right (throwing) shoulder — which caused an initial scare because it was surgically repaired a decade earlier — but returned to complete 68.3 percent of his passes for a league-high 4,870 yards with 32 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions.
Since signing with New Orleans as a free agent in 2006, Brees has passed for at least 4,350 yards and 26 touchdowns in each season. He also led the 2009 Saints to the franchise’s only Super Bowl title.

The Saints guaranteed $10.85 million of Brees’ $20 million salary last week as part of a clause in his contract.

New Orleans has finished 7-9 and failed to make the playoffs each of the past two seasons primarily because of defensive deficiencies. While describing that unit as a "work in progress," Loomis hopes victories in three of the final four games last season are an indication the Saints are back on the upswing.

"We’re pretty excited about some of the younger players that we’ve acquired over the last couple years," Loomis said. "I believe we’ve played more first-year and rookie players than anyone else in the league this past year in terms of number of plays. The bulk of that is on defense.

"We’ve got some work to do. We’ve got to improve our pass rush and front seven. That will be one of the goals we have in this offseason —- to get some help up front so we can climb defensively and help out our offense."

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/n...p-space-021616

5
2KSHARES

[dawg80]

Not totally accurate. The Saints have also spent big money on some free-agent misses. Junior Galette's dead money after his explosion. Jairus Byrd has turned out to be an atrocious signing. Brandon Browner and C.J. Spiller were two dud moves from last offseason. I do believe Brees' cap hit has hindered the team and it needs to be brought back to a more manageable number, but he's not the sole reason the Saints have underperformed the past several seasons. Mickey Loomis deserves a great deal of the blame for his personnel moves.

Tru Dat on Junior, Jairus, et al.... all busts! But, this thread was about Brees.

[dawg80]

So now Jabari Evans and Marcus Colston are gone....to clear $millions of the salary cap. Meanwhile, Drew Greed continues to rake it in. Word is Greed wants a raise now!

[theprofessor]

So now Jabari Evans and Marcus Colston are gone....to clear $millions of the salary cap. Meanwhile, Drew Greed continues to rake it in. Word is Greed wants a raise now!

Jabari and Colston are gone because they are both a shell of their former selves. They're not good enough anymore. Marcus Colston is the greatest wide receiver in Saints history. I will always appreciate his contributions. But he's done.

[StrayDawg]

So now Jabari Evans and Marcus Colston are gone....to clear $millions of the salary cap. Meanwhile, Drew Greed continues to rake it in. Word is Greed wants a raise now!

Dude, you've got it in both lungs. You just have to get over it. The dead money from bad contracts is what is killing us right now. Roughly $14.5M in dead money from four contracts (Gallette, Bunkley, Lorig, Baptiste).

Sam Bradford hasn't ever played an entire season, and has not been very good when he has played, and he just signed an extension for $18M/year. When terrible QBs are getting that kind of money, they set the market. Brees could take less money, and he might, but Loomis should shoulder more of the blame than Drew. Loomis is the one who has signed terrible contracts with Byrd, Gallette, Graham, and others. He is also the one who has pushed more and more of Brees' contract into future years, which is why he now has a $30M cap hit. When he originally signed this contract, I think his cap hit in the final year was set to be something like $22-24 million, but now it's 30. Add that $6-8 million to the $14 million in dead money and we would be able to go after anybody. That isn't Brees' fault, and it's not like he's holding out demanding more money.

They will get it worked out, but I don't understand the Brees bashing coming from you. Hell, even Kirk Cousins is demanding $20M per year.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Jabari and Colston are gone because they are both a shell of their former selves. They're not good enough anymore. Marcus Colston is the greatest wide receiver in Saints history. I will always appreciate his contributions. But he's done.

This.

[dawg80]

Stray: you need to do a little more research. Greed had an opportunity back in 2010...I think it was, to do the right thing for the Saints, but instead he stuck to a strictly "what's in it for me" posture. That started the snowball rolling. Now, just because Loomis/Payton have made some dumb/unfortunate decisions with other players, some of it nobody's fault, such as season-ending, and in a couple of cases, really career-ending injuries to players with high salaries, does NOT excuse Drew Greed from his actions.

Tom Brady is the 38th highest player in the league. He could easily be #1 if he had chosen greed over what is good for the Pats. That is all anybody needs to look at. Sure, Brady makes....what $18 million a year, or something like that. He ain't hurting. But he is arguably the best QB in the NFL, and what makes him THE BEST is that he is a team leader, who leads by example.

Drew Greed has wrecked the 2009 Super Bowl Champions.

I have NEVER said Drew is not a great QB. He is one of the best. But, in the world of salary caps, and the fact football is kind of a "team sport," it takes more than a great QB to win. I am a SAINTS fan! I don't care about the name on the back of the jersey. I only care about the Saints winning. Get it?

[revf]

Yes they could restructure and take less of a cap hit aka Joe Flacco. However Flacco is 31, and this makes sense. He will be 36 when the restructure deal ends.

Brees is 37. He says he wants to play till he is 45! Have you all seen Peyton Manning (age 39) this year? Brett Favre was 40 when he retired. Any restructuring deal the saints sign might turn into a problem on the back end because it would push Brees contract well over 40 years of age.

They are at the Indianapolis Colts crossroads. Get rid of your mega superstar QB who might win a SB with another team (although Peyton arguably did very little to win that game) Or sign a QB to a contract that puts him well over 40 when he's done.

[StrayDawg]

Stray: you need to do a little more research. Greed had an opportunity back in 2010...I think it was, to do the right thing for the Saints, but instead he stuck to a strictly "what's in it for me" posture. That started the snowball rolling. Now, just because Loomis/Payton have made some dumb/unfortunate decisions with other players, some of it nobody's fault, such as season-ending, and in a couple of cases, really career-ending injuries to players with high salaries, does NOT excuse Drew Greed from his actions.

Tom Brady is the 38th highest player in the league. He could easily be #1 if he had chosen greed over what is good for the Pats. That is all anybody needs to look at. Sure, Brady makes....what $18 million a year, or something like that. He ain't hurting. But he is arguably the best QB in the NFL, and what makes him THE BEST is that he is a team leader, who leads by example.

Drew Greed has wrecked the 2009 Super Bowl Champions.

I have NEVER said Drew is not a great QB. He is one of the best. But, in the world of salary caps, and the fact football is kind of a "team sport," it takes more than a great QB to win. I am a SAINTS fan! I don't care about the name on the back of the jersey. I only care about the Saints winning. Get it?

I don't doubt that you're a Saints fan, you're just throwing knives at the wrong guy. I'm familiar with the contract that Brees signed after the 2011 season, and I think Brady is a bad comparison for that contract. That was Brees' first chance to really cash in. He had his rookie contract in San Diego, and his first contract with the Saints was signed after he had torn up his shoulder and only two teams were interested in him. By the time he signed the contract after 2011-12, he had already won a Super Bowl and set a bunch of records, and he got his pay day. I don't blame him for that at all. By contrast, Brady had already signed two or three contracts, had been "highest paid in the league" and had won three superbowls. If you recall, the Pats were criticized for the way they handled the aftermath of Brady's contract, because the idea was that they would build the offensive line and give Brady more WRs to throw to. They did neither, and ended up cutting more people, including the offensive linemen that Brady was hoping to keep. They also had a tight end go to prison, but that's another issue. I honestly can't think of another QB who has taken a "hometown discount" other than Brady, and the way it was handled by the Pats probably encouraged other QBs not to take a discount.

The way the Patriots were truly able to rebuild, and the way other winning teams build is through the draft, and the Saints have drafted horrendously for most of the last decade. Their first-rounders are always pretty good, but most of the recent drafts have been a bust after the first round. 2006 was probably the best draft in franchise history, but since then it's been bad. Rookie contracts are low, especially on the current CBA, and drafting well gives you the chance to pay a QB big money and still win. If you draft extremely well (and get a little lucky) like the Sehawks did in 2010 and 2011, then you can win a Super Bowl with a roster full of low paid players. Luckily, the Saints fired half of their scouts last year and brought in an old Parcels guy in Jeff Ireland. Last year, we actually kept every player that we drafted, which hadn't happened in many years. If we can do that again this year, then the rebuilding can actually occur, regardless of what Brees is paid.

When it comes to his new contract, Brees has a few things working against him taking a discount.
1. His agent is Tom Condon who represents a lot of high profile players, including QBs, and he doesn't want to set a precedent of taking a discount. But, ultimately that is Drew's decision.
2. Drew used to be on the board for the NFLPA, and he knows that it's important to "set the bar" for the next guy. It isn't publicly discussed for some reason, but players are under a lot of pressure from the NFLPA to get the most money they can. I don't think Drew will do that in this case, but you can bet that he is hearing about it.
3. Joe Flacco just signed a contract that averages $22 million/year, so that will make the NFLPA want Drew to get more than that. I doubt he will, but you never know what is happening behind the scenes.

Worst case, he signs a contract similar to Flacco that averages $22million, and that will give the Saints $8 million in relief.
Medium case, he extends a few years at his current rate, averaging $20 million, and that gives the Saints $10 million in relief.
Best case, he takes less money, which would give even more relief. Personally, I don't see this one happening, but it would be great if it does. Regardless of how it is restructured, it needs to happen to give cap relief. Poor cap management is Loomis' fault, not Drew's.

[dawg80]

He should be happy with $18 mill and free up $12 mill.

Again, his career was toast! The Saints took a chance on him, when NO OTHER team was willing to. The Dolphins are still kicking themselves. Brees might have been a mere footnote in NFL history, hardly remembered. But, the Saints rolled the dice. YES!!! it has worked out for us, we got a GREAT QB, and we are thankful for it. I think Brees should remember that and be forever grateful to the franchise that saved his frickin' career.

I have a LOT of faults, but ingratitude is not one of them. I remember the people that have helped me along my journey in career and in life. (and I remember those who were not a help...I never forget, and I never forgive). So! I project that quality onto others. Brees needs to remember the people who helped him.....the Saints.

[dawg80]

Benjamin Watson is gone. Woulda been nice to have him back one more year.

[StrayDawg]

I agree. I'm hoping we can sign Ladarius Green from San Diego. He went to UL-L, but I won't hold that against him. He would be a good addition to the Saints offense.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

I agree. I'm hoping we can sign Ladarius Green from San Diego. He went to UL-L, but I won't hold that against him. He would be a good addition to the Saints offense.

We did one better by signing:



Coby Fleener agrees to 5-year, $36M deal with SaintsNFL.com‎ - 6 hours ago

Coby Fleener has agreed to a five-year, $36 million deal. Will he be a good match for ...
Coby Fleener's average comes in lower than Dwayne Allen'sNBCSports.com‎ - 2 hours ago

Coby Fleener draws New Orleans Saints into free-agent frenzy: Larry HolderNOLA.com‎ - 4 hours ago

1. Coby Fleener
   Football tight end
   
   
   Jacoby "Coby" Fleener is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. After playing at Joliet Catholic Academy during high school, Fleener played college football at Stanford University. Wikipedia
   
   
   
   
   Born: September 20, 1988 (age 27), Lemont, IL
   
   
   Height: 6′ 6″
   
   
   40 yard dash time: 4.51 seconds
   
   
   Current team: Indianapolis Colts (#80 / Tight end)
   
   
   Education: Stanford University, Joliet Catholic Academy
2. Last 3 years he has 50+ receptions with the Colts. I bet he is 70+ in this Saints offense.

[dawg80]

Good pick up. Brees will make this guy a super star TE. That is one, of many things, Brees does well.

I REALLY like Benjamin Watson, as a player and as a person, and would have liked for him to have remained a Saint until he retires, which will be soon given that he is 35. But, this guy helps to soothe the disappointment.