Re-signing franchise quarterbacks is tough. Re-signing Hall of Fame quarterbacks is tougher, partially because teams need to factor the steep drop-off for aging quarterbacks into their negotiations. Drew Brees has hit no such drop-off for the Saints, and he's a free agent this offseason, but he doesn't seem to think that negotiations will be much of a problem.
"Of course I'm coming back," Brees told Ellen DeGeneres, a close friend of his and huge Saints fan, on "Ellen." "I'm a Saint for life. I'm a New Orleans Saint for life."
Brees is coming off of one of his best seasons results-wise since 2011, as the Saints did something that they hadn't done since 2009: find balance in their offense. This was in part due to the duo of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara in the backfield, and also partly due to teams not being able to stack the box against the Saints. When they tried, Brees had games like he did against the Panthers on Wild Card Weekend, throwing for 376 yards, two touchdowns and one interception (that ended up benefiting the Saints).
However, it's one thing to say you're going to return to your team after a successful season. It's another to do it. Brees will have suitors if he hits free agency, of that there's no doubt. He proved, when he had to, that he still has gas in the tank, and the Saints clearly don't want to lean on him as heavily as they have in the past. They aren't in dire straits in terms of salary cap. Guard Senio Kelemete is the only other pressing player on a walk year, and they have an estimated $34.1 million in cap space come 2018 (according to Spotrac). If Brees wants years added, however, the Saints may hit a snag in negotiations.
As Will Brinson has noted, the Saints also don't have the power to tag Brees, per his contract, so if a team floats an offer too good to pass up the Saints will have to make a choice. Brees, however, hasn't been shy in his intentions.
"It's the same way I felt two days ago, the same way I felt 12 years ago. That is, I'll be here as long as they'll have me," Brees said shortly after the Saints' season ended against the Vikings in the divisional round.
The Saints, of course, undoubtedly won't want Brees to get the chance to talk to other teams, so they'd rather hit an extension. Brees' last new contract was five years for $100 million in 2012, with $60 million guaranteed, the most in NFL history at the time. In 2016, the Saints signed him to another five-year contract, but it had a void provision after two seasons, letting the Saints save cap space.
A terrific 2017 draft has the Saints in better shape cap-wise than they normally are, but the Saints are competing with the market. Matthew Stafford is currently the best-paid quarterback in guaranteed money at $60.5 million with a contract that expires in 2023. Joe Flacco is being paid $14.7 million per year, and with Kirk Cousins presumably leaving the Redskins, that will be a situation the Saints will want to keep an eye on.
But the bottom line is this: You can't put a price on wanting to stay somewhere. If Brees wants to stay with the Saints, he'll stay with the Saints. But that doesn't mean he has to negotiate exclusively with them. They likely give him the best chance to win, and his friendship with Sean Payton hasn't even been hit on, but if a team comes along with a crazy offer, the Saints might have to pony up.
