As I’m sure most of you are by now aware Drew Brees hasn’t had any kind of contract talks with the Saints in about 3 months. This is on the surface a very curious announcement as Brees is a free agent after this season, and his franchise tag will carry over 40 MILLION dollars behind it. You would think that the absolute highest priority for the Saints is to keep the greatest player in franchise history under contract until the wheels fall off. The Saints obviously disagree (or at least aren’t showing the public urgency that the fan base believes they should). That’s just it though, who is right here? Is it the fans? Drew? or the Saints? Well, try this on for size, ALL THREE of them are handling things the right way. I’m not straddling the fence here either, I really mean that. Each group has a different perspective and different priorities that take precedent, and each group is acting in accordance with those values. That is why I believe all 3 are going through the process the way they should be right now, let’s take a look at things from each groups perspective before I give my own opinion.
Fans:
The loudest and most important group in many ways are the fans. We are the ones who go to the games, watch them on TV, and buy the merchandise. It is our obsession, our passion, and our desire to see others do the things we all dreamed we could that puts billions in the hands of the owners and millions in the hands of the players. Don’t ever let anyone tell you something as stupid as “you’re just a fan”. Your opinion matters, it always has, and it always will. That of course does NOT mean that simply being a fan entitles you to decide which moves the franchise should make, nor does it invest you with a mythic omniscience that allows you to know ahead of times how each move will work out (no matter how some of us may wish for it). We care certainly, it’s something that deeply matters to us and someday, and hopefully no time soon, it will be Drew Brees last day in a Saints uniform and I will not be alone among fans who will be devastated.
For fans Brees has achieved (and rightfully so) a near mythical status where the mere idea of him being on the team has an almost unlimited value. More fans than some may believe have said both privately and publicly that they believe Drew when he says he will play into his 40’s, “I’ve learned not to count him out”, or “modern medicine gets better every year” you will hear from them. On the other side you will also hear the fans who are of the opinion “if he doesn’t want to be here, let him go”, or “I’d rather let him go a year early rather than a year late”. Which group is right, and which is wrong? Both, and both. Both are opinions about the best path for the future, and who was ‘right’ is something that can only be determined through hindsight. They are BOTH aiming for one goal and one goal only, the Saints have the best chance to hold up another Lombardi (isn’t it great to get to say ANOTHER…poor Panthers and Falcons fans….must suck to be them).
Fans just want to see their favorite team succeed, and it’s natural to want the player who helped you achieve greatness over and over again there. Like I said before, there really isn’t a ‘right’ answer until the events have already occurred. However, there is such a thing as a well thought out and reasoned approach, and that is not the role of fans (although obviously they aren’t incapable of it), it is the JOB of the front office.
The Saints:
The interesting thing here folks is that the Saints organization wants EXACTLY the same thing you do, they want to win. The difference comes from perspective. As a fan your primary role is to be as passionate as humanely possible (and as Saints fans I’m proud to say that we are second to none). For the organization they must do their absolute best to avoid line of thought at all costs. as hard as it can be you have to remember that for the Saints organization this is a business and at the end of the day they have to make what they believe are the best business decisions. They certainly shouldn’t ignore the fans or betray them, it’s generally not a good idea to alienate the primary source of your revenue. However, the approach and the methods they take have to be with a long term view that does its best to minimize risk while maximizing success, it’s tight rope walking of the highest order and part of why championships are so valued.
The Saints organization COULD simply go to Drew and offer him the contract that he wants, that he has earned, and that he is likely still worth. The Saints can’t do that though, they must do everything they can to give him an amount that is fitting for his position and his value, but without compromising the growth of the team as a whole. An NFL roster has 53 men on it, and allocating such an enormous percentage of the teams allowed financial commitments to one player, much less one that is unequivocally in the twilight of their career is simply not a smart move. It is certainly possible that the Saints could duplicate, or at least emulate the achievement of last year’s Denver Broncos who won with the reanimated corpse of Peyton Manning at quarterback behind a stellar defense. It’s certainly possible to win with a legend past their time of effectiveness, however the question you must ask yourself if you are arguing for that is do you think the Saints can have an All Time Great defense in the next 2-3 years. If not, this is not the path to take.
That is the quandry that the Saints organization faces. They have a player who is still right up at the top of the league, whose value today is worth every penny he is asking for (regardless of what the exact number is), however the older he gets the closer he gets to that proverbial cliff that all players eventually fall from. That is why the Saints are playing hard ball here. Do they want Drew Brees back? Of course they do. However, they can, and must, only bring him back in a way that doesn’t cripple their ability to build around him as his otherworldly abilities slowly (but inevitably) decline.
Drew Brees:
Make no mistake Drew Brees WANTS to remain a Saint. He’s said it at every opportunity, and if nothing else his willingness to restructure in order to sign a great player in Josh Norman shows he is invested in winning HERE. Remember the other side of things though, his. Brees is a man of great ability, great desire, and great PRIDE. He isn’t going to just sign for 7$ because it MIGHT give the team a better chance to win. Give him a chance for a proven player at a position of need and he might go for it, but make no mistake Drew Brees has earned every single dollar of whatever deal he eventually signs, and before any of you get so eager to take money out of another mans pocket think of this scenario: You are at work (whatever your job may be) and your boss comes up to you and says “hey I need to cut your salary by 30% so we can bring in this new kid fresh from college to help the company”. If ANY of you would be ok with that scenario you are a far better person than me. That is exactly what you are asking of Brees when you say “just take a little less to win”. He’s earned it and he should get it, and it is his decision alone if he takes less. (also don’t bring up Tom guys…he’s gotten MORE money each time)
Drew wants to win, and I doubt he is asking anything more than his market value, but he’s not under any circumstance going to run to Mickey and voluntarily give up tens of millions of dollars just so negotiations don’t drag on. Brees has a number, so do the Saints, and eventually they will try to work to get to a meeting point between those two numbers, that’s how negotiation works. Drew Brees isn’t being greedy though, he is simply asking to be paid commensurate with his performance. He has every right to ask for that, remember this man just led the league in passing last year. He wants to be here, but that doesn’t mean he is simply going to roll over and show his belly ‘like a good boy’. He’s an employee, in many ways a private contractor, and in this regard a businessman. I know it is difficult, but try to remember that the Drew Brees who gives his all on the field, the man who does a great deal for the community, and the man who won’t settle for anything less than what he is worth are all the same person. The world isn’t black and white (although it’s certainly black and gold in my book).
Mine:
To me things are very simple. I firmly believe that Drew Brees will at minimum play two more years with the Saints, and at most three. The only question is how. Here’s the worst case scenario from Ralph Malrbough:
Not really. Just tag Brees, and let Unger walk, do nothing in FA. Have 50 million in cap space https://t.co/43jjuNs9H2
— Ralph Malbrough (@SaintsForecast) July 24, 2016
Is it a wise decision to dedicate THAT much of the cap to one player? No it is not. However, there are a few scenarios where it could work out, and if the Saints believe they are close enough to being in contention for it all it just might BE worth it.
That is the worst case scenario in my opinion, Drew Brees stays a Saint for a WHOLE lot of money. Most likely I think he will get what is essentially a two year extension with a big whopping chunk of guaranteed money that spreads out at the end and lets both Brees and the team win. That is Mickey’s calling card, and while he is a hard bargaining in most cases his contracts always come with a long term vision and are well thought out (just remember that the Saints are cap crippled every year, and make moves every year folks).
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