11:10am: There’s some conflicting word on when Brees is permitted to speak with teams. Both the NFL and NFLPA spokesman George Atallah say that Drew Brees can negotiate with other teams starting on Monday, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).
9:08am: The NFL’s “legal tampering” period gets begins on Monday, but unlike most of the league’s pending free agents, Saints quarterback Drew Brees will not be able to speak with teams, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). That’s because Brees has to wait until his contract voids on March 14 in order to explore the market. 
If the Saints do not strike a new deal with Brees before the start of free agency on Wednesday, they’ll be forced to carry $18MM in dead money against their cap. It is widely expected that an extension will be reached, but the deadline provides Brees with leverage in talks, even though he has already stated that he does not plan on testing the open market. In theory, if the Saints do not give Brees an offer to his liking, he can put New Orleans in a serious cap crunch and go elsewhere.
Realistically, agent Tom Condon has probably heard from rival teams that would be interested in signing his client. Although the legal tampering period is designed to give teams an opportunity to speak with prospective free agents, there’s a great deal of talk that goes down at the NFL combine between agents and teams. Condon may not have set out to talk to clubs about Brees in Indianapolis, but he has certainly heard from GMs with interest and has a rough idea of the offers that would be out there for his client, should he deviate from his plans.
Brees is PFR’s No. 2 ranked player in free agency this year.
why would he want to, brees will retire a saint
What if the Saints take him for granted & throw down a hometown discount offer? It gets dicey for these 35-40 year old QB’s who want to keep playing but don’t allow their team to begin a succession plan, like the Brady / Garappollo
Can someone help me understand why Brees is second on the top free agent list behind Kirk Cousins? Brees is in the top 3 of QBs in the league & in top 5 all time in most stats, it shouldn’t even be close. It should be Brees then everyone else. Unless they put him as #2 because they know he’s most likely going to stay in New Orleans
Because he’s 39. As good as he is, he doesn’t fit into anyone’s long term plans. He’s a one or two year rental for competing teams only.
And chances are he’s not leaving the Saints.
Drew Brees should sign a Tom Brady-like contract if he cares about winning. Help the team get some boys in order to get you another ring.