Have no fear New Orleans Saints fans. Team general manager Mickey Loomis made it clear Tuesday that Drew Brees isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
Speaking with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Loomis confirmed his intentions to work out a long-term deal with Brees that will keep him in New Orleans for a while longer:
“Drew Brees is going to be our quarterback this year and for the foreseeable future,” Loomis said (h/t Nick Underhill of theadvocate.com). “We’ll get that worked out in a way that helps our team and fits in with what he wants to do.”
There were rumors before the 2015 season that Brees could potentially be playing his last with the Saints, thanks to his ungodly $30 million cap hit for the 2016 season. That’s not the case, though it’s also been reported that he might need to take a “hometown discount” to remain with the club.
An extension is really the only way to fix the cap issue, and Brees is on record saying he’s “absolutely” willing to do an extension this offseason. However, according to Loomis the cap isn’t the issue. Instead, he made it clear Tuesday that doing an extension has everything to do with Brees being the team’s quarterback, rather than it being about the cap.
“Look, that’s not as much for cap as it is for, ‘We want Drew to be our quarterback this year, next year, and the foreseeable future,’” Loomis said.
Brees, at the age of 37, is clearly in the twilight of his career. That said, it’s not like he’s failing to get the job done. Playing without Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills this past year, he still managed to complete 68.3 percent of his passes for 4,870 yards (leading the league) with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Clearly, the veteran still has plenty of arm left, and he’s always been one of the most cerebral passers in the NFL. As long as the Saints protect him, he will continue to perform at a high level, especially if the franchise can bring in some more talent at the receiver position.
The Saints would be smart to extend him, both because he is the best option right now and because they need to clear some cap space. It’s a win-win, and you can bet Loomis and Brees will make it happen sooner, rather than later.