Drew Brees - Pro Football Rumors

Poll: Who Is The Best Unrestricted Free Agent QB This Offseason?

February 12th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Marc Delucchi

As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.

While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.

It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.

Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).

Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.

Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.

Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.

Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?

Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.

With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.

Drew Brees Expected To Return To Saints

February 2nd, 2020 at 7:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There’s been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Saints’ quarterback situation recently. The consensus seems to be that New Orleans envisions Taysom Hill taking over as their starter in 2021, but that they’d like Drew Brees back for a bridge year.

Given that Brees is facing the possibility of splitting more snaps with Hill and recent comments that he made indicating he’s seriously considering retirement, it seemed very much up in the air whether or not he’d return. That being said, the tide seems to be turning back toward him coming back for one more run at another Super Bowl. Brees is expected by people around him and the team to play in 2020, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter video link).

Garafolo cautions that it’s not 100 percent, but that it’s the “educated guess” of everybody around the situation. Head coach Sean Payton recently admitted it was “unrealistic” to bring back Teddy Bridgewater with Brees and Hill, which could indicate he expects to have his 41-year-old passer.

His numbers were still very solid in 2019, but seemingly everyone has acknowledged that the end is near. He’s said he won’t play anywhere other than New Orleans, so it sounds like 2020 will definitely be his last season if he does play. Brees was sidelined for an extended period due to injury for the first time since 2003 this past season, as he missed five games due to a torn ligament in his thumb.

Latest On Saints’ QB Situation

February 1st, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints may have a long-term plan that includes a Drew Brees-to-Taysom Hill baton pass. This may leave Teddy Bridgewater out of the equation.

Bridgewater turned down a chance to become the Dolphins starter last year, instead re-signing with the Saints on a one-year deal worth $7.25MM. The former first-round pick again is free agency-bound, but Sean Payton does not appear to envision another year with the Brees-Bridgewater-Hill troika together. The 14-year Saints coach said it is “unrealistic” to bring all three back, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Although Bridgewater helped the Saints to a 5-0 mark as a starter while Brees recovered from injury, the 27-year-old passer may be closer to one of the free agency dominoes than set for another year as Brees’ backup. The priority appears to be Hill, who is a restricted free agent.

If Brees comes back to start a possible multiyear transition to Hill, the Saints are expected to place a first-round RFA tender on the latter, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN note. The 2019 first-round tender price was $4.4MM.

It would represent a remarkable rise for the ex-UDFA to receive the rare first-round tender, and it may remain a slight stretch to envision Hill becoming a surefire quarterback option. The unique passing-rushing-receiving weapon has only thrown 13 career passes. The prospect of a 2021 Brees-to-Hill transition makes more sense because sources informed Fowler and Graziano that Hill may not be ready to handle being New Orleans’ starter in 2020. This would shift the focus to Brees, whose retirement talk is believed to be genuine.

A BYU alum, Hill will turn 30 before Week 1 of next season. Brees recently turned 41. Brees has said he is not going anywhere else; the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will play for the Saints in 2020 or retire.

Latest On Saints’ Drew Brees

January 31st, 2020 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he isn’t bothered by the prospect of ceding snaps to Taysom Hill (Twitter link via Chris Simms of PFT). Brees is still deciding whether he’ll return for another season, but a larger role for Hill won’t dissuade him from playing.

“If I’m back, and Taysom’s along side me, call the plays that puts us in the best position to win. If that means Taysom Hill is taking 30 snaps a game, 25 snaps a game, so be it. I’m all for that,” Brees said.

The Saints would like to have Brees back for a bridge year, allowing them to make a smooth handoff to Hill for 2021 and beyond. Brees, 41, is on board with that plan, if he decides to play.

Brees, of course, has nothing left to prove in the NFL and has already earned more money than he could ever hope to spend. Over the next month or so, he’ll weigh his options, which include a potential career in broadcasting.

Brees completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he threw for 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. In the regular season finale against the Colts, Brees connected on 29 of 30 passes and set the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.

Latest On Saints QB Drew Brees

January 28th, 2020 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is giving serious thought to retirement, PFT’s Mike Florio hears. The Saints, obviously, want the future Hall of Famer to return, but a source tells PFT that the club wants him back for what would essentially amount to a bridge year. In 2021, they envision Taysom Hill taking over as the team’s starter.

If Brees returns for a 15th season, he’d be the starter, but he’d also yield some spotlight and snaps to Hill. That plan may or may not suit Brees, who could walk away from the game with his fortune and still earn plenty more off the field, perhaps as a TV analyst.

Meanwhile, the Saints have some offseason work to do when it comes to Hill and Teddy Bridgewater. Hill will be a restricted free agent in March and another club could conceivably match their offer sheet, even at the first-round level. Bridgewater, who is beloved in New Orleans and all around the NFL, could be lured away by an opportunity to start with a contract befitting of a QB1.

As for Brees, he’s indicated that he’ll take a month to or so to weigh his options. If he does return, Brees says he’ll only suit up for the Saints.

Brees, 41, completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he tallied 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The wild card round against the Vikings didn’t go as planned, but Brees did cap off the regular season in remarkable fashion by completing 29 of 30 passes against the Colts and setting the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.

Latest On Drew Brees

January 26th, 2020 at 9:00am CST by Rory Parks

If Drew Brees decides to play in 2020, it will only be for the Saints. However, it’s still unclear whether he will be returning for his age-41 season.

The New Orleans legend will wait about a month before making that decision, as Amie Just of NOLA.com writes.

“I’m really waiting until football is totally done,” Brees said on Saturday. “Obviously being [at the Pro Bowl], I’m just very much focused on my family and this opportunity to be be around the guys, playing the game. Then, I’ll kind of lay low for a little bit, get away and then assess. I kind of have a process in mind. And I’ll give it a month or so.”

The Saints will obviously give their future Hall-of-Famer all the time he wants, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the process could be somewhat complicated by the presence of Taysom Hill, a restricted free agent. The Saints love what Hill brings to the field and do not want another club poaching him by giving him an offer that New Orleans cannot match because of its financial commitment to Brees. Of course, that assumes that another team views the 29-year-old Hill as a starting-caliber QB, which is not a given; Hill has thrown just 13 passes in his professional career.

If Brees does decide to hang up the cleats, the Saints could look to Hill as a replacement, or they may choose to re-sign Teddy Bridgewater, who played well in Brees’ injury-related absence in 2019. There are also an unusually high number of potentially intriguing free agent and trade options this year, so the sooner Brees makes up his mind, the happier New Orleans will be.

Drew Brees: I’ll Only Play For The Saints

January 24th, 2020 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Drew Brees may consider retirement this offseason, but he says he won’t be changing teams. The future Hall of Famer tells NFL.com’s Jane Slater that he’d only suit up for the Saints.

“I have never been in the situation where I was mulling over the thought of [returning],” Brees said. “To me, each one of these contracts, I don’t know how many it’s been with the Saints, I’ve played with them 14 years, it’s not a matter of if it gets done, it’s when. At this stage of my career, it’s not a given that I’m coming back every year, but when that time comes, I’ll always be a Saint.”

It’s no surprise to hear that the 41-year-old isn’t interested in starting over somewhere new. He’s reached the pinnacle of the sport playing in New Orleans, where he’s found unbelievable success in Sean Payton‘s offense. And, even though things didn’t go according to plan in 2019, the QB says the team’s heartbreaking loss to the Vikings has only fueled his fire.

“You’ve got no other choice but to move on and get better as a result of it,” he said. “We learn something every time around. We’re not going to be discouraged. We’re not going to take the results of the last three playoffs — with some crazy things happening, obviously, kind of unprecedented things happening — and deter us from still striving to accomplish the ultimate goal. I feel like we have all the pieces in place. We have a great foundation. Great culture. We have all the makings of a championship team.”

If Brees walks away from the game, he’ll have ample opportunities to stay close to the game, including TV.

Latest On Drew Brees’ Future

January 5th, 2020 at 9:51am CST by Rory Parks

Patriots QB Tom Brady indicated that he is unlikely to retire, but with all of the talk surrounding Brady, not much has been said about the future of another future Hall-of-Famer, Saints signal-caller Drew Brees.

Brees, like Brady, is eligible for free agency, but unlike Brady, it does not sound as if there is any possibility that he could be playing for a different club in 2020. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Brees wants to remain with the Saints, and given the way he’s playing, it’s likely that the two sides come together on a new contract after the season is over (video link).

The franchise tag is also a possibility, though Rapoport says that would be a last resort. Brees, who will turn 41 later this month, is having an excellent season despite missing five games with a thumb injury (which, in retrospect, may have allowed him to stay fresh). He has thrown 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions en route to a career-high 116.3 quarterback rating, and he is a big reason why the Saints look like one of the most complete teams in football.

Of course, if the Saints do win their second Lombardi trophy this year, there will be speculation that Brees could retire to end his career on the mountaintop. But that does not sound likely either, as a source close to Brees told Rapoport that, if the New Orleans legend wins the Super Bowl in 2020, he’ll just want to win again in 2021.

The Saints host the Vikings in the wildcard round today, a game in which New Orleans is favored by 7.5 points.

Saints To Start Drew Brees In Week 8

October 26th, 2019 at 2:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Drew Brees will return to action Sunday. Although Sean Payton was not planning to announce a starter until Sunday, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) Brees will be tabbed to return.

The Saints have a Week 9 bye, but Brees got in three limited practices this week. Brees has been sidelined since Week 2 with a thumb injury but will step back into the lineup for a Saints team that went 5-0 with backup Teddy Bridgewater.

This marked the longest injury-related absence of Brees’ 19-year career, but he progressed ahead of schedule and will return to lead a 6-1 Saints team. Brees underwent surgery to repair a ligament in this throwing thumb but will be entrusted to keep the Saints’ win streak going.

The 12-time Pro Bowler led the team to the NFC title game last season, doing so after shattering his own completion percentage record (74.4%). The NFL’s all-time leading passer, Brees threw 32 touchdown passes for the Saints last season. The Saints are gunning for their third straight NFC South title, and Brees obviously stands to make New Orleans a more prohibitive favorite. The team is on the lookout for an additional Brees receiving target in advance of the trade deadline.

NFC Rumors: Saints, Slay, Adams, Eagles

October 25th, 2019 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Payton did not name his Week 8 starting quarterback, indicating a decision on Drew Brees‘ Week 8 status will not come until at least Saturday. The Saints‘ starting quarterback has lobbied to play Sunday against the Cardinals and worked in three limited practices this week. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has fared well in his workout sessions available to the media this week, per The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, who would be surprised if Brees didn’t start this week (Twitter link). Brees has missed the past five Saints games with a thumb injury; Teddy Bridgewater has piloted the team to five wins in that span. New Orleans has a bye next week, so it still wouldn’t be too shocking if Brees was held out until Week 10.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Alvin Kamara worked in a limited capacity twice this week. Listed as questionable, the Saints running back may also see the team’s upcoming bye week affect his status. Kamara is battling an ankle injury, which sidelined him last week.
Lions players were not thrilled that the team traded away locker room favorite Quandre Diggs, and Darius Slay was especially vocal about his displeasure. Slay, whose contract expires after the 2020 season, has previously said that he wants to remain in Detroit long-term. However, his tone changed this week when asked about the subject. “Anybody can get traded. I personally wouldn’t care,” Slay said of the possibility of the team trading him (via Pro Football Talk).
The Lions’ Week 8 injury report indicates the world will have to wait for a Darius Slay-Darius Slayton matchup. Detroit’s top cornerback will miss the Lions-Giants game due to a hamstring injury. Slay has battled this issue since Week 3. Second-year UDFA Mike Ford started in Slay’s place against the Chiefs, the one game the Pro Bowler missed, and will likely do so against New York.
Davante Adams looks set to miss a fourth game due to the turf toe issue he’s encountered. The Packers declared their top wide receiver doubtful to face the Chiefs. Green Bay’s bye is not until Week 11. This continues to be a situation to monitor for one of the NFC favorites.
Recently released by the struggling Eagles, Orlando Scandrick believes he was scapegoated for the team’s woes, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer relays (Twitter link). “The problem in Philadelphia is much, much deeper than me,” Scandrick said. The Eagles have released the veteran cornerback twice this year.

Chris Crouse contributed to this report.