“I’m humbled and honored, and have been from the day that I first stepped foot in here as a New Orleans Saint”, Brees said.
Advertisement
An incredibly durable passer who has missed just two games in a decade in New Orleans, Brees has suffered no major structural injuries since the dislocated shoulder and torn labrum that Dr. James Andrews repaired in 2005, right before Brees became a member of the Saints.
What’s most important for the Bucs is that Brees will be in New Orleans in 2018, too, guaranteeing that they’ll have to find a way to stop him. By spreading the contract over five years, the Saints reduce Brees’ $30 million salary cap hit for 2016, which was the highest for any player in National Football League history.
Brees is scheduled to meet with the media later today. “I’ll be here as long as they’ll have me”.
“Both sides are very happy”. I want to play my entire career here …
The deal will be announced as a five-year extension, but reportedly contains an automatic void to two years, according to ESPN’s Ed Werder.
Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders has accepted a three-year, $33 million contract extension on the eve of the season opener.
Bringing back Evans does not relieve the Saints of the $5.1 million in dead money the team is carrying on the salary cap for releasing him in February.
Having led the Saints to their lone Super Bowl in the 2009 season, Brees stands as the most decorated player in franchise history.
Brees, now in his 11 season with the Saints, was entering the final year of his five-year, $100,000,000 contract in 2016, in which he was expected to pull in a base salary of $19,750,000.
After Grayson struggled in the preseason this year, the Saints elected to go with the experienced Luke McCown to back up Drew Brees instead.
And at the same time, Brees can decide if New Orleans is still the place he wants to finish out his career. It’s possible they will re-sign him to the practice squad, but it’s likely they will seek a new developmental QB in next year’s draft regardless. The money the Saints have paid beginning in 2012 did not hurt the rest of the team.
Advertisement
But the franchise tag was realistically off the table for Brees and the Saints, because it would have cost the team $43.2 million in 2017. He’s thrown for over 4,800 yards in each of the last five seasons and has thrown for over 30 touchdowns eight years in a row.
