Drew Brees

NFC Notes: Elliott, Brees, 49ers, Lions

July 27th, 2017 at 9:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL was reportedly close to ending its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott nearly a week ago, but his fate is still unknown. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects that to change soon, though. “I think we’ll have a decision imminently,” Jones told SiriusXM on Thursday (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). “Of course, I don’t know what that will be and wouldn’t want to have conjecture in any way involving that.” Jones claimed over the weekend that his own review cleared Elliott of any wrongdoing, and he once again defended the superstar rusher Thursday. “What I have seen, though, is the presentation of Zeke and his people, and I’ve seen the league’s presentation. There’s no domestic violence involved here,” Jones insisted.

Elsewhere around the NFC…

Quarterback Drew Brees signed a one-year extension before last season to remain with the Saints through 2017, but he’s not pushing for another deal this summer, writes Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. When asked Wednesday whether the Saints have approached him about a new contract, Brees said: “I don’t expect them to I don’t really desire them to. I just want to play football. I want to help this team.” Theoretically, New Orleans is at some risk of losing the soon-to-be 39-year-old Brees after next season, though it seems he expects to eventually ink a new deal with the club. “I know that that stuff takes care of itself,” he commented. “It takes care of itself when it’s supposed to. That shouldn’t be a priority right now.”
General manager John Lynch suggested Thursday that the 49ers aren’t in a rush to sign any of their contract-year veterans to extensions, telling Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group and other reporters, “We’re going to let this play out a little bit and see how they fit with what we want to do.” That’s not a surprising stance on Lynch’s part, as it’s debatable at best whether the team has any must-sign players due for free agency next offseason. Running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, and linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Aaron Lynch are San Francisco’s headliners in contract years.
More on the 49ers, who got some welcome news Thursday when rookie linebacker Reuben Foster announced that he has been completely cleared to participate in training camp, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. The former Alabama defensive stalwart underwent right shoulder surgery in February, which contributed to his falling draft stock and helped the 49ers land him at No. 31 (after trading up from No. 34). Adam Schefter of ESPN then reported after the draft that Foster’s surgery “didn’t take,” leading to fears that he’d miss his first season, but he’s good to go for now.
The Lions worked out safety Stefan McClure on Thursday, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets. Two of the Lions’ safeties, Don Carey and Rolan Milligan, are on the physically unable to perform list, thereby opening up room at the position. Unlike Carey, McClure hasn’t seen any game action in the NFL. He went undrafted from California last year and spent some time on the Colts’ practice squad.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Cousins, Brees, Panthers

July 19th, 2017 at 9:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins could hit free agency next offseason, which would force the team to engage in a bidding war if it wants to retain him, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Cousins re-sign in 2018, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The standoff between the Redskins and Cousins isn’t personal, notes Graziano, who expects him to stay with them if they make him the best offer. Otherwise, Graziano runs down a slew of other potential suitors that could make Cousins one of the richest players in the game if he reaches the open market in March. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that a Cousins derby could look a bit like Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White’s trip to free agency in 1993, when most of the league pursued him before he signed with Green Bay, as well as the sweepstakes for quarterback Peyton Manning in 2012. Manning drew vast interest before joining the Broncos.

South Notes: Brees, Panthers, Titans, Texans

April 1st, 2017 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Don’t expect Drew Brees to sign another extension before the season. The 38-year-old Saints quarterback is again entering a contract year but wants to wait until after the season to discuss another deal to stay in New Orleans. Brees said waiting until the end of the year is best for himself and the team, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com reports. Brees’ one-year extension from 2016 will pay him $24.25MM this season.

The 17th-year quarterback is also not exactly endorsing the Saints taking a signal-caller early. While that may be in the best interest of the franchise post-Brees, the current starter doesn’t want a high draft pick that will sit behind him and not help the team in 2017.

“The flip side is, if I’m going to start and that quarterback sits, well that’s not helping our team right now,” Brees said, via Katzenstein. “So, I want somebody who’s going to help our team right now. When I leave here, I want this organization to be successful — whenever that is — so I want them to be prepared for that. They need to be thinking about that, but then again, I don’t want to make it seem like this is my farewell tour. That’s not the way I view it.”

Here’s more from the league’s South divisions.

The Panthers‘ free agency plan focused on established veterans, and Dave Gettleman and Ron Rivera pointed to the success the more veteran-laden 2015 Super Bowl team had compared to its successor. “You go back to the Super Bowl year and you look at what we had with Roman (Harper), Charles (Tillman) and Jared Allen. Those three veteran guys right there. And then you look at what we did with (Mike) Adams, (Captain) Munnerlyn and Julius (Peppers),” Rivera said, via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, pointing to the additions of a 36-year-old safety, a soon-to-be 29-year-old nickel corner and a 37-year-old defensive end. “Are we trying to copy what we did? You’re darned right. We really are.” Both Adams and Peppers are actually older than the players the Panthers are bringing them in to emulate.
Rivera hopes Peppers’ decision to sign a one-year pact doesn’t amount to a farewell tour. The seventh-year Panthers coach said the 16th-year edge defender has a lot left in the tank and wants him to consider playing beyond this season. Peppers’ three mid-30s seasons produced a combined 25 sacks, adding to Rivera’s point.
Carolina also will consider using Munnerlyn outside in addition to his usual slot role, Person notes. Munnerlyn has far more experience than James Bradberry or Daryl Worley but has spent the majority of his career in the slot. The now-two-time Panther could be competing for an base defense starter’s role while sliding to his customary nickel on passing downs.
The Titans worked out Miami tight end David Njoku on Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. They hold picks 5 and 18 in the first round. Njoku’s soaring value has induced mock drafts to route him to teams picking in the range of Tennessee’s No. 18 selection. The Titans still have Delanie Walker under contract, but he will be 33 in August.
Having been connected to Tony Romo throughout the offseason, the Texans are also a candidate to take a quarterback early. Bob McNair said as much earlier this offseason. But Bill O’Brien may not necessarily be ready to start a rookie. “I think it’s tough to play quarterback as a rookie in our league,” O’Brien said this week. “I think that there’s no substitute for experience. So, I think it’s hard to ask a guy to come in straight from college and Day 1 he’s a starter on your team. But I know that there are some really good quarterbacks in this draft that we’re looking at and we’ve met with a lot of them. We’re excited about continuing to get to know them. But, I just think for me as a general rule, that’s tough to start them as a Day 1 guy.”

NFC Notes: Saints, Brees, Redskins, Shanahan

February 4th, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

While the Saints have a clear-cut starting quarterback for next season, could the organization still look to draft an eventual replacement for Drew Brees? For what it’s worth, head coach Sean Payton expressed his interest in Clemson’s Deshaun Watson earlier this week.

“There’s something special about him, right?” said Payton (via ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett). “And when you watch the game, it’s always interesting to hear him talk afterward. And I think he appears to have all those things that we’re looking for.”

While Watson could theoretically fall to the Saints at the 11th pick, Payton was adamant that he’s not looking to replace Brees, who finished this past season with 5,208 passing yards and 37 touchdowns.

“That transaction may take place, not in the same year (Brees) is being replaced,” Payton said. “We pay close attention to, ‘Hey, what are the signs?’ And I don’t see any, we don’t see any. We just finished reading our team, and (Brees’) preparation, his attention to detail is amazing. His movement skills … these guys are so much further along in regards to their rest, their recovery, nutrition.”

Let’s dive into some other notes from around the NFC…

While it’s unlikely, Brees acknowledged that he’d still want to keep playing in the event that he’s released by the Saints. “If the Saints came to me right now and said, ‘You’re not our guy right now, we’re releasing you,’ I’d say, ‘I’ve still got football left in me. I’m gonna go play,’” the quarterback said (via Triplett). “I just don’t ever desire to go anywhere else and play for any other team.”
University of Florida defensive backs coach Torrian Gray is leaving the school to join the Redskins coaching staff, reports Robbie Andreu of The Gainesville Sun (via Twitter). Zac Jackson of ProFootballTalk.com reports that Gray will be Washington’s new defensive backs coach. Besides a one-year stint as the Bears defensive backs coach, Gray had been coaching in the NCAA since 2000.
Falcons offensive coordinator (and soon-to-be 49ers head coach) Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that he liked Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo heading into the 2014 draft. “He was a very good thrower,” the former Browns offensive coordinator told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland. “Tough guy, kept his eyes down the field, could get rid of the ball fast. Really liked the person. Had a chance to go out to dinner with him and stuff. He played at Eastern Illinois, and it was a different type of offense where you can’t always evaluate with how quick they get rid of the ball. But I really thought he was a very intelligent, tough player with a good throwing motion.” There will be a handful of teams that will inquire on the 25-year-old, and the 49ers could be one of those squads.

Saints Not Exploring Another Brees Extension

January 25th, 2017 at 9:29am CST by Sam Robinson

Last season, another Drew Brees extension loomed as a priority for the Saints, and the sides came to a late-summer agreement. The Saints might not be thinking about their quarterback along those lines a year later.

GM Mickey Loomis did not discuss finding a potential successor for the 38-year-old passer like the Giants and Steelers did for their younger franchise stalwarts but did note the Saints aren’t presently thinking about doing another long-term deal for Brees, who is again entering a contract year.

“You know, Drew’s at that point in his career where for him, I think it’s, ‘Hey, how do I feel?‘” Loomis said, via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “He had a great season; he’s planning on having another great season. And then we’ll go from there.”

As part of the one-year extension Brees signed, he’s scheduled make $24.25MM in guaranteed money this season. Brees is coming off another 5,000-yard slate — an NFL-record fifth of his career and first since 2013 — but the Saints finished 7-9 for a third straight year. Loomis didn’t necessarily say the team wouldn’t pursue another extension with Brees, but the longtime GM notes the thought process hasn’t gotten to that point. Triplett argues the Saints are taking the year-to-year approach in case they want to move on from Brees and start a rebuild with a younger, cheaper passer.

Brees said before the 2016 season he plans to play beyond this extension. He preferred to secure a longer-term extension but agreed to the one-year deal due it being in the Saints’ best interests. New Orleans stands to possess more than $29MM in cap space this year after last season’s Brees cap number — one the team didn’t ultimately bring down to help create space during free agency — hovered over the offseason.

NFC Notes: Saints, 49ers, Smith, Jackson

December 28th, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Drew Brees does not expect to be playing for a different Saints coach in 2017 despite Sean Payton‘s name again being a constant in the coaching rumors section of the NFL news cycle. The quarterback who signed a one-year extension just before this season “absolutely” expects Payton to stay in New Orleans for what would be his 12th year with the franchise.

“I’ve heard some of the same stuff that I heard last year, and I felt like I had a pretty good feeling last year,” Brees said, via Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. “And I don’t see why it would be any different this year.”

Payton has been connected with the Rams after a report emerged indicating the 52-year-old having “sincere interest” in acquiring the veteran coach in a trade. A report pegged the Saints as being open to exploring a Payton trade, with another denying the team was thinking of shopping him. The Saints have made the playoffs just once in the past five seasons, although the 2012 absence came without Payton due to the Bountygate suspension.

Here’s more from the NFC as teams make Week 17 preparations.

Saints outside linebacker Michael Mauti underwent surgery for a large intestine issue, leading to the Saints placing the fourth-year player on their NFI list in November. But the Penn State product revealed he hopes to play in 2017, Katzenstein reports.
The Saints tried out linebackers Frank Beltre and Deon Lacey, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Earlier today, they signed linebacker Brian Blechen to their practice squad.
Carlos Hyde described the MCL sprain he sustained as being worse than the one that sidelined him at Ohio State in 2012, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News reports. The 49ers‘ backfield starter will enter a contract year in 2017. He’s expected to return, injury problems notwithstanding, but Inman projects Trent Baalke and DC Jim O’Neil to be fired at season’s end. However, the reporter expects Chip Kelly and OC Curtis Modkins to stay, citing some sense of continuity is needed to avoid having four head coaches in four years. Inman also anticipates none of the 49ers’ three quarterbacks to be back but points to both Torrey Smith and Jeremy Kerley staying in what should be a turbulent offseason.
Tyron Smith expects to be ready to go by the time the Cowboys are due to play their divisional playoff game, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The cornerstone left tackle said he did not have knee problems before spraining an MCL on Monday night.
After drafting wideouts the past two years, the Redskins figure to let DeSean Jackson walk, Elliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reports. This would open the door for the deep threat to reunite with former teammates on the receiver-starved Eagles. This would make sense from a need standpoint, and there have been multiple connections between D-Jax and his former team, but Philly is projected to be $800K-plus over the cap in 2017 after signing numerous players to extensions this offseason. The Eagles would need to shed salary to make room for Jackson. For his part, the 30-year-old wideout said he’s “intrigued” about being a free agent.

La Canfora’s Latest: Brees, Romo, Cam

September 11th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some of the latest news and notes from CBS Sports scribe Jason La Canfora:

Drew Brees and the Saints agreed to an extension just a few days ago, but negotiations had stalled for months earlier this year prior to both sides finally striking an accord. During that time, Brees’ representatives began exploring potential suitors for 2017, and the Cardinals were the top team on their list (this was before Arizona inked Carson Palmer to his own extension). La Canfora’s sources also indicated that the Jets would have been interested in Brees had he hit the open market in 2017.
There is good news for Cowboys fans on the Tony Romo front, as La Canfora reports that Romo is making good progress from the fractured vertebrae he suffered in his back during the team’s third preseason game, and he is on track to play in Week 7. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (article via Kevin Patra of NFL.com) suggests that even if Romo is ready to go, he may not have a job to come back to. After speaking with team sources, Rapoport reports that the door is open, albeit slightly, for rookie Dak Prescott to impress enough to pull a Lou Gehrig and take Romo’s job on a permanent basis.
The NFLPA has asked for a formal investigation into the handling of the helmet-to-helmet hit that Panthers QB Cam Newton took on Thursday night’s season opener. The investigation will be conducted jointly by the NFL and NFLPA, and if the Association’s findings conflict with the league’s findings, the Association can appeal to a neutral arbitrator, who has the authority to discipline the Panthers and others who were responsible for Newton’s well-being (potential consequences include fines and loss of draft picks). The fact that an investigation has been initiated does not mean that that the league’s concussion protocol was applied improperly, it simply reflects an obligation to ensure the health and safety of the league’s players. This marks the first time the enforcement element of the protocol has been exercised (all links go to Twitter).
Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, who signed a massive contract extension prior to the 2015 season, is still recovering from a significant knee injury and will not be back until November at the earliest, according to a team source. That source believes Week 9 is the earliest Houston could return to the field, though the team will reevaluate during its Week 5 bye.

Reactions To Saints’ Drew Brees Deal

September 7th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Drew Brees could have entered his 11th season opener with the Saints on Sunday with the prospect of maximizing his value in free agency potentially ahead, but he opted for short-term security instead of an all-out leverage battle with the franchise, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes.

Had a soon-to-be 38-year-old Brees hit the market in 2017, he would have widespread interest despite his age due to the extreme seller’s market that’s emerged at the quarterback position. But Brees did not want to leave New Orleans, per Triplett, inducing him to take the Saints’ one-year extension offer and probably give the team the win in this standoff.

Brees knowing a one-year extension was the end game could have led him to making this deal in March, which would have helped the Saints add to this year’s team after being equipped with cap savings. But Triplett points out he was hoping for a longer-term deal and didn’t need to make a concession until that was off the table.

Here are some more reactions from the Saints keeping Brees off the free agent market.

The Saints essentially gave Brees a franchise tag one year early, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap posits. In 2017, Brees will make barely $5MM more than Kirk Cousins will on the tag price this season. Fitzgerald notes the New Orleans quarterback gave up his leverage of being able to command a top-market contract at age 38 and the kind of injury protection peers received recently in order to help the Saints. Brees earning $24.25MM in new money puts him well behind the class of 2004 QBs, who were each going into at least an age-33 season at the time of signing last year. Although, Brees is two years older than Eli Manning, nearly three years older than Philip Rivers and more than three years older than Ben Roethlisberger, so a four-year deal made less sense for the Saints than such a pact did for those respective teams. Fitzgerald adds $40MM in new guarantees should have been Brees’ floor instead of the $24MM+ he ended up receiving.
By adding the three voidable years to the back of Brees’ extension, the Saints created some issues in 2018. Per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the Saints will be hit with an $18MM cap charge in ’18 when the three years void. Corry notes the prorated bonus won’t be spread out from 2018-20 since a void accelerates them onto the ’18 cap sheet. As the cap expert points out, via Twitter, the 2012 Saints carried a $4.92MM cap charge as a result of Brees’ ’12 and ’13 years voiding. Corry expects the quarterback’s 2018-20 seasons to void five days after the 2017 season ends (Twitter link).
The belated deal to decrease Brees’ 2016 cap number continues the Saints’ pattern of pushing financial problems down the line, Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com tweets. New Orleans again chose to release multiple cornerstone players this year for cap purposes, and reducing Brees’ $30MM cap number for 2016 will be difficult to create much benefit now after factoring that figure into their plans throughout the offseason.
Brees’ consistency should give the Saints comfort that he won’t deteriorate quickly, Nick Underhill of The Advocate writes. While the organization likely won’t have to account for those kind of aging questions on this deal, Underhill notes the Saints needed to keep Brees to avoid a Browns-esque future without a quality quarterback. With eight straight 30-touchdown pass seasons and six 4,800-yard+ passing campaigns, Brees has been the NFL’s most statistically proficient quarterback on a year-to-year basis since he joined the Saints. And playing most his games in domed stadiums or comfortable weather, with Sean Payton continuing to call the shots, should help Brees as he moves further into his late 30s.

Drew Brees Wants To Continue Career Post-Extension

September 7th, 2016 at 5:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The one-year extension Drew Brees and the Saints agreed to earlier today will keep the quarterback off the free agent market come March, but the 37-year-old passer is not planning to retire after 2017.

Brees plans to continue his career after ’17 despite his extension adding just one more season, Larry Holder of NOLA.com reports (on Twitter). The quarterback, who was believed to be seeking a four-year commitment worth $100MM, viewed this compromise as the best deal for the team.

“I plan to play for longer than two years, so, yeah,” Brees said, via Holder. “I think my mindset going into this was
to be able to secure a deal that would take me for as long as I plan on playing, but this was what was in the best interest of the team and so, that’s why it was a two-year deal.”

While the sides could be back here again next year, especially if the 16th-year quarterback continues the torrid pace he’s set during his previous 10 seasons in New Orleans, Brees received the security he sought for next season. The prospect of one of this era’s greatest quarterbacks venturing onto the market may have intrigued, but according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, Brees didn’t want any part of that. Triplett reports Brees did not like the idea of being viewed as a player trying to cash in one more time.

Brees also told agent Tom Condon he wanted to complete a deal which would help with the Saints’ cap, which has been a source of concern for the franchise the past few years. Brees stood to occupy $30MM of New Orleans’ 2016 payroll. He’ll now see that slashed to $17.5MM thanks to the extension, one that provides $44.25MM in guaranteed money.

“The cap situation to me was the most important element to this,” he said. “Over the next few years, [we want to put] our team in the best position to keep talent and acquire talent and the right type of guys that fit what we’re trying to accomplish here.”

This represents the quarterback’s first extension signed before his previous contract expired. The former second-round pick didn’t see his Chargers deal renewed after 2005 and signed his second Saints accord after being franchise-tagged in 2012.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Saints, Drew Brees Agree To Extension

September 7th, 2016 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints and Drew Brees have reached agreement on an extension, according to a team announcement. The new deal is technically for five years but automatically voids to two, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Thanks to what is effectively a one-year extension, Brees will be committed to the Saints this year and next only for $44.25MM guaranteed. He’ll earn $20MM in 2016 and $24.25M next season.

The deal includes no-trade protection and also prohibits the Saints from using the franchise tag on him. At ~$22MM per year, Brees’ new deal probably less than market value. But, the veteran gave up dollars in exchange for fiscal security and a no-trade clause. Brees was said to be seeking a four-year deal worth $100MM, but that was likely just posturing by his agents.

Prior to the extension, Brees was slated to count for $30MM against the Saints’ 2016 cap. Now, his cap charge has been reduced to $17.5MM (Twitter link).

The 37-year-old 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 ten-year run in New Orleans, Brees has missed just two games while leading the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record. He has guided the Saints to five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded four 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.

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