Toward the end of last season, Drew Brees' future in New Orleans appeared to be in doubt. But it seems as if all of that conjecture was for naught.
The Saints have big decisions to make on Drew Brees’ contract
More than $10 million of Brees’ $19.75 million base salary for 2016 kicked in Wednesday, but the Saints could still try to cut down his $30 million salary cap hit.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
More than $10 million of Brees' $19.75 million base salary for 2016 kicked in Wednesday, meaning the Saints will be on the hook for it next season. That would be a big deal if the Saints were thinking of moving on from their franchise quarterback, but after months of rumors, Brees announced at the end of December he's staying put.
"I think we -- a plan was put in place throughout last offseason as to how we were going to build a foundation by which to make a run at it in the future," Brees said, via NFL.com. "That includes some new faces, that includes some young players that, I think, will all have a chance to come together and kind of build a team that can make a run at it in the future."
The questions about Brees’ future in New Orleans reached an apex earlier in December, when NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported the Saints wanted Brees to take a pay cut. Brees has a $30 million cap hit next season.
"It is a possibility he is playing his last game in the Superdome," Rapoport said at the time on NFL GameDay Morning. "He has a $30 million cap figure for next year, and he's simply not going to play on that. What I am told is do not simply assume he will be back. He will need to take a hometown discount as far as a contract extension to do so. There is some thought on the team that the reason they have depth issues is because Brees maximized his contract last time."
Though the 37-year-old Brees seems destined to return to New Orleans next season, the Saints could still try to bring down his hefty cap figure. The best way to accomplish that would probably be through a contract extension, which would allow the Saints to spread out Brees’ cap number over a number of years.
Despite battling through a shoulder injury for the first half of last season, Brees still put up good numbers for the 7-9 Saints. He led the league with 4,870 passing yards, throwing 32 touchdowns in 15 games played.
See More:
