Drew Brees - Pro Football Rumors

Saints, Drew Brees Close To Extension

September 7th, 2016 at 9:43am CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 9:43am: The deal is “all but done,” a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 9:30pm: A deal could be signed as soon as tomorrow, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link), while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says the agreement could be a shorter contract.

7:56pm: The Saints are close to reaching an extension with quarterback Drew Brees, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Brees has indicated that he doesn’t want negotiations lasting into the regular season, so if the two sides are going to strike a deal, the time is now.

A report yesterday indicated that Brees is seeking a four-year deal worth $100MM, numbers that jibe with previous reports about Brees’ contract status. Brees’ asking price is a lofty one for a 37-year-old, especially considering no other NFLer averages $25MM per annum. However, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn’t shown serious signs of aging to this point. Brees, a 16th-year man, is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. He also eclipsed the 4,800-yard mark for the fifth consecutive year.

During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as the Saints’ all-time best player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Drew Brees Seeking $100MM Deal

September 5th, 2016 at 7:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints and quarterback Drew Brees have restarted contract extension talks over the past week and will make a push to reach a deal before Sunday’s opener, reports Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Brees, who has made it known that he doesn’t want to discuss his contract during the season, is seeking a four-year, $100MM pact, according to La Canfora (Twitter links).

Brees’ asking price is a lofty one for a 37-year-old, especially considering no other NFLer averages $25MM per annum. However, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn’t shown serious signs of aging to this point. Brees, a 16th-year man, is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. He also eclipsed the 4,800-yard mark for the fifth consecutive year.

If the Saints and Brees aren’t able to find common ground by Sunday, the odds of this being his final season in New Orleans would seem to increase significantly. Applying the franchise tag to Brees next offseason would cost the Saints $43.2MM, which is certainly an unpalatable figure. As of now, Brees is set to count a quarterback-leading $30MM against the Saints’ cap and rake in $19.75MM – the second-highest base salary for a signal-caller – to conclude the five-year, $100MM contract he inked with the Saints in 2012. That deal made Brees the highest-paid player in league history, but several others have since passed him.

During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as the Saints’ all-time best player.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

No Progress Between Saints, Drew Brees

August 24th, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints still aren’t progressing toward a contract extension, the 37-year-old revealed Wednesday.

“Obviously, there’s nothing to report right now. Focused on football, and we’ll see where it leads prior to the season,” said Brees (via Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate).

With the regular season nearing, it seems time is running out for the two sides to reach an agreement. Brees already made it clear in May that he doesn’t want to engage in negotiations during the season. Thus, if there isn’t a deal by Week 1, he could potentially be in his final season with the Saints. Nevertheless, general manager Mickey Loomis isn’t worried.

“Lots of players play into the last year of their contract,” Loomis said before training camp. “It happened the last time with us, not a preference … but nothing unusual.”

As Loomis alluded to, the Saints and Brees have fought over a contract in the past. After the 2011 season, the club placed the franchise tag on Brees before eventually inking him to a five-year, $100MM pact in July 2012. The tag might not be an option next winter, however, as using it on Brees would cost the Saints $43.2MM. As consistently great as Brees has been, that would obviously represent an unpalatable figure for the organization. As things stand, Brees is set to count a quarterback-leading $30MM against New Orleans’ cap this season and haul in $19.75MM – the second-highest base salary for a signal-caller.

During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to conclude the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, amassed three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as both the Saints’ all-time best player and a shoo-in for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Breer’s Latest: Bengals, Berry, Bell, Brees, Jets

August 14th, 2016 at 2:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals lost their Wild Card contest against the Steelers in a devastating fashion, with late-game penalties by cornerback Adam Jones and linebacker Vontaze Burfict allowing Pittsburgh to kick a game-winning field goal. Instead of dwelling on the loss, head coach Marvin Lewis says Cincinnati has quickly moved on, as he tells Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “Last year ended, we covered that the first week of the offseason program,” said Lewis. “And there’s been no mention of how the season ended since then.” Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, meanwhile, has been pressing his players during practice sessions, telling them: “If you lose it here, you’re gonna lose it in a game.”

Let’s take a look at the other highlights from Breer’s Inside the NFL Notebook:

Eric Berry has yet to report to Chiefs camp and is set to miss most or all of the preseason as he expresses his displeasure with the franchise tag, and Breer talks to several evaluators about why Kansas City is reluctant to hand Berry a long-term extension. “I understand franchising him now and seeing if he gets back to the form he held before,” said one offensive coach. “I think he’s still a top-five safety in the league and the arrow could be pointing up.” Other decision-makers had different opinions. “I think, at this point, he’s solid, not spectacular,” said one AFC executive. For what it’s worth, Chiefs general manager John Dorsey recently expressed optimism that Berry will be present before Week 1.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is still facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but he looks healthy coming off a major knee injury, according to Breer, who adds that Bell still has a shot at to join Adrian Peterson as backs who earn more than $10MM annually. Peterson dominates the running back market at $14MM, while LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Stewart, and Doug Martin all make between $7-8MM.
Though he’s now 37 years old and entering a contract year, Saints quarterback Drew Brees tells Breer that he sees no end in sight. “I don’t think about the end. I don’t,” said Brees. “I do have a great sense of urgency for each year, though, because I understand no matter what your contract says, you’re really on a year-to-year basis. That goes for everybody. You gotta prove it every year.” Brees is set to count a league-high $30MM against New Orleans’ cap before becoming a free agent next spring.
The Jets and general manager Mike Maccagnan have made a concerted effort to strengthen the middle of their roster this year, as Breer writes, choosing to add depth rather than target stars. The club has to execute that strategy through the draft, and Breer reports that third-round linebacker Jordan Jenkins, fourth-round cornerback Juston Burris, fifth-round tackle Brandon Shell and undrafted receiver Jalin Marshall “have all flashed ability.”

NFC South Notes: Saints, Brees, Falcons, Bucs

July 28th, 2016 at 6:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While extension talks between the Saints and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees haven’t yielded progress yet, the contract-year quarterback said Thursday that he harbors no ill will toward general manager Mickey Loomis (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “Just to clarify, nothing is adversarial. I have a great relationship with Mickey Loomis and have for my entire time here,” stated Brees. “We’ll see how this shakes out over the next month and a half.”

Brees reiterated Thursday that the start of the regular season is his deadline for contract negotiations, so the two sides won’t talk again until the end of the campaign if they don’t reach an agreement by Week 1. To place the franchise tag on Brees next offseason would cost the Saints $43.2MM, so that probably won’t be an option. The only choice, then, would be a multiyear deal, and Brees, 37, believes he’s capable of lasting for a while longer. “I don’t see any reason why I can’t play at the highest level for the next five years minimum,” commented Brees, who threw for 4,870 yards and 32 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in 2015.

Contract-Year Rumors: Brees, Short, Berry

July 27th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis confirmed Wednesday that the team and contract-year quarterback Drew Brees have not made any progress toward a long-term deal, though Loomis added that he’s open to discussions, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Brees revealed last week that the two sides last exchanged offers in March. The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is set to count an NFL-leading $30MM against the Saints’ cap this year, and he’ll also rake in the league’s second-highest QB salary ($19.75MM).

If the Saints don’t sign Brees by the start of the regular season, which is the deadline the 16th-year man has set, retaining him in the offseason could be difficult. Because Brees has already been a franchise-tag recipient twice, it would cost the Saints $43.2MM to tag him in 2017, notes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With the tag an unlikely option, free agency will become a realistic route for Brees to take if he and the Saints don’t work something out over the next several weeks.

More of the latest regarding high-profile players with unsettled contract situations:

Unlike New Orleans and Brees, the NFC South rival Panthers and defensive tackle Kawann Short are engaged in extension talks, GM Dave Gettleman said Wednesday (via David Newton of ESPN.com). Short has expressed dissatisfaction this offseason with his current deal, one that will pay him just over $1MM in base salary in 2016, after he led the Panthers in sacks and forced fumbles last year, and ranked eighth among 123 qualifying interior defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Fellow D-line standouts like Fletcher Cox and Muhammad Wilkerson have scored sizable deals in recent weeks, and it’s fair to say the 27-year-old Short could look to those pacts as comparables for his next contract. However, while Cox and Wilkerson will average upward of $17MM a year, Gettleman wasn’t willing to go much higher than $15MM per year as of earlier this month.
Unhappy with his current status, Chiefs safety Eric Berry is set to skip most or all of the preseason, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star). Doing that won’t increase the leverage of Berry, whose only options are to sign his $10.8MM franchise tender at some point or continue sitting out. The Chiefs failed to sign the four-time Pro Bowler to a multiyear deal by the July 15 deadline for tag recipients, meaning the two won’t be able to negotiate again until the end of the season. Because Berry isn’t under contract, he’d be able to avoid showing up for of camp and the preseason without facing fines from the Chiefs. Indeed, the 27-year-old looks primed to take advantage of that.
The Broncos and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders remain in discussions about a new deal, GM John Elway stated Wednesday (Twitter link via Troy Renck of Denver7). The reigning Super Bowl champions would like to lock Sanders up before the season, according to Elway, who said in June that extending Sanders and two of his teammates – linebackers Von Miller and Brandon Marshall – by mid-July would be “ideal.” Denver has since secured Miller and Marshall, leaving the 29-year-old Sanders as the lone straggler of the group.
In the biggest news of the day, the Jets and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick finally ended their squabble over a contract.

Saints Notes: Brees, Benson, Lewis

July 24th, 2016 at 10:55am CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that Drew Brees and the Saints have not discussed a new contract in the last three months, and Brees is therefore still on track to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2016 season (for which he currently carries a $30MM cap hit). Mike Triplett of ESPN.com believes both sides are being unduly stubborn, that they should be more eager to get something done, and that this past week–the last week before the start of training camp–would have been the perfect time for team and player to reach an accord assuring that Brees would remain in New Orleans for the rest of his career.

Of course, Triplett also maintains that Brees and the Saints could have tried harder to get this deal done prior to the start of free agency, when a reduction of Bress’ $30MM cap number would have been especially welcome. Brees has set the start of the regular season as his deadline for working out a new contract, and while Triplett understands the Saints’ hesitancy to hand out another mega-deal–after all, Brees is not getting any younger, and he has battled a series of nagging injuries in the past two years–he still thinks the future Hall-of-Famer is a safe bet to continue performing at a high level. Triplett does believe, however, that Brees should be willing to leave a little money on the table if that’s what it takes to get him a little extra security now and give the team a better chance to make one last championship run before he calls it a career.

Now let’s round up some more Saints-related news:

A federal judge has given Saints owner Tom Benson an additional 30 days to replace at least some of the team shares that he attempted to pull from his daughter and grandchildren with equitable assets, according to Greg LaRose of The Times-Picayune. Benson had agreed to enter into negotiations back in June, just three days before he was scheduled to go to trial with trustees who blocked his attempt to remove stock in the teams. Once that matter is resolved, the NFL will still need to approve the settlement regarding team ownership.
Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis, who missed the majority of the 2015 season with a trio of injuries, says he will be ready for the regular-season opener, as Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune writes. His return will be a welcome one for the Saints, who will pair him with Delvin Breaux to form a fairly solid starting duo outside the hash marks.
One thing that would help the secondary, of course, is a better pass rush, and Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate explores some of the Saints’ options in that regard.

Latest On Saints, Drew Brees

July 23rd, 2016 at 10:34am CST by Ben Levine

As the summer has progressed, it’s appeared increasingly unlikely that the Saints and Drew Brees would come to an agreement on an extension. The quarterback’s recent comments did little to boost optimism regarding a new contract.

As several big-name signal-callers have earned contract extensions this offseason, Brees is still eyeing free agency following the season. While the two parties could suddenly come to an agreement, the 37-year-old told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett that the sides haven’t negotiated in nearly three months.

“Not sure why things have not progressed,” he said. “They made an offer in March, we made an offer shortly thereafter. And besides the Josh Norman deal [the organization approached Brees with a new contract in order to sign the cornerback], there has been no talk about a contract since.”

Brees has been rather adamant that he won’t discuss an extension during the regular season, although he acknowledged that a solid deadline hasn’t been set. The team-leader has no intentions of holding out or skipping practices.

“I would say the deadline is the start of the regular season, not training camp,” he said.

As Triplett notes, guaranteed money is the likely “sticking point” in the negotiations between the quarterback and the Saints. Although Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco earned more than $60MM in guaranteed money on their extension, a similar deal would seemingly mean that the Saints would have to pay Brees until he’s at least 39 years old.

Brees will be entering the final year of his (then) record-breaking five-year, $200MM contract signed in 2012. The veteran has a staggering $30MM cap hit for this upcoming season, and he’s set to earn $19.75MM via his salary and $7.4MM via a signing bonus.

Despite wrapping up his 15th NFL season, Brees is still going strong. He finished the 2015 season with 4,870 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions — his lowest total since 2009.

Extra Points: Brees, Packers, Bills, Jets

July 8th, 2016 at 4:26pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

This is a contract year for quarterback Drew Brees, and if he and the Saints don’t reach an agreement on a new deal by next offseason, the franchise tag probably won’t be an option for the team. Tagging Brees would leave the Saints with an unpalatable $43.09MM cap hit for 2017. Given that fact, the future Hall of Famer might have the leverage to land a fully guaranteed, multiyear contract by next winter, Andrew Brandt of The MMQB.com suggests. In the meantime, the 37-year-old is slated to play 2016 on a $19.75MM salary and count a quarterback-leading $30MM against New Orleans’ cap. As of last month, multiple sources projected Brees’ next pact would be a four-year, $95MM accord featuring $65MM in guarantees.

QB Notes: Cousins, Taylor, Bortles

July 2nd, 2016 at 10:10am CST by Ben Levine

We’ve had several days to recover from Andrew Luck‘s record-breaking contract extension with the Colts. Of course, plenty of pundits are now analyzing how that deal might impact the league’s other quarterbacks.

Let’s take a look at some quarterback-centric notes, and we may get some clarity on who will get paid next…

Luck’s new contract will have little influence over Kirk Cousins‘ potential next contract with the Redskins, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Rather, the quarterback will likely be operating under the franchise value, which ends up being around $78.36MM over three seasons.
Meanwhile, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News believes Luck’s new deal “only mean[s] good fortune” for Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. The writer is convinced that the organization will spend on a franchise QB, although he’s uncertain how much they’ll actually be willing to pay Taylor.
While Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles surely won’t make Andrew Luck-money, Gene Frenette of Jacksonville.com believes the signal-caller could be in line for a contract exceeding $100MM.
Barring some unforeseen circumstances, no quarterback from the 2013 draft will be in line to command a huge payday. However, Florio notes that a handful of 2014 draft picks are in line to get paid, including Bortles, Derek Carr, and Teddy Bridgewater.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry (writing for CBSSports.com) surveys several other quarterbacks who could be impacted by the Luck deal, including Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Matthew Stafford.