Drew Brees could soon be on his way out if he isn’t interested in taking a hometown discount to stay with the New Orleans Saints.
The 36-year-old quarterback is set to cost $30 million against the cap next season, and the Saints are likely looking at a rebuilding process in 2016 — a terrible mix. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sunday morning that Brees will need to give the Saints a discount to stay on board with the franchise.
What about #Saints QB Drew Brees, who has a $30M cap figure in 2016? I'm told he has to take a hometown discount to return.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 27, 2015
Many casual fans might look to Brees’ statistics and wonder why this could be the case. With 4,135 passing yards and 28 touchdowns he’s among the league leaders in both categories, and he’s still one of the NFL’s smartest passers.
However, the Saints have huge problems on both sides of the ball, and in particular on defense. It’s going to take a lot of money and time to fix what’s wrong there, and paying Brees 1/5 of the cap is extremely detrimental to the team’s ability to make those changes.
Additionally, there could be some frustration about the quarterback’s decision to maximize his contract the last time around, per Rapoport.
The 2016 season is the last on Brees’ current deal. By the time this contract wears out he’ll be almost two years away from 40, and it’s clear his body isn’t what it used to be, despite his still inflated numbers. This would be the correct time to make a drastic change if the Saints deem that the way to go.