Many have wondered how much longer Saints quarterback Drew Brees will continue to play, but GM Mickey Loomis says he isn’t stressing over the 40-year-old quarterback’s future.
“You know, I don’t think we look at it that way anymore. I think we look at it in terms of, ‘Hey, this year,’ you know? And man, he had a great season last year, and we expect a great season this year,” Loomis said (via The Advocate). “And so for as long as he wants to play and can play, he’s going to have that opportunity.”
If Brees returns for 2020, he’ll might not have any worlds left to conquer. Already, the veteran has set new NFL all-time records for career completions and passing yards. Meanwhile, he’s just 20 career passing touchdowns away from vaulting past Peyton Manning‘s 539 mark.
The Saints will happily keep Brees as long as he’s playing at an elite level, but they will have to figure out his contractual situation in order to stay the course. As it stands, Brees is set to count for $21.3MM in dead money against the Saints’ cap in 2020, which may prompt the team to kick the can down the road with yet another contract adjustment.
Here’s more from the NFC South:
- Torrey Smith has already has taken a $2MM pay cut to stay with the Panthers, but the club could release him this offseason and charge ahead with younger wide receivers, David Newton of ESPN.com writes. D.J. Moore projects as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver, Curtis Samuel figures to serve as the No. 2 WR, and new addition Chris Hogan seems primed for a big role. Even after the pay cut, a Smith release could save the Panthers $2MM with just $1MM left in dead money.
- This week, we looked at what it might take for the Falcons to hammer out an extension with Julio Jones.
- On Tuesday, the Buccaneers freed up some cap space by tweaking Mike Evans‘ contract.