After months and months of negotiations, the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees came to an agreement on a contract that keeps Brees in New Orleans for the next five years. Totaled at $100 million with $60 million guaranteed, the Saints finally came to their senses with making sure Brees stays in black and gold.
The thing that makes me wonder is why it took so long for New Orleans to give Brees the money he both demanded and deserved.
Certainly, there are financial aspects of negotiations where a team wants to make sure they are investing in something that will pay out both financially and production wise, but Brees has done nothing to make anyone skeptical of what he’s capable of at age 33.
Football statistics, wins and records aside, Brees has served as the face of the Saints for six seasons with his leadership, consistency and hard work both on the field and in the community.
After Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Brees helped in the recovery of the city and has contributed to the city with numerous charities of his own that has seen him receive numerous awards for his contributions and sportsmanship.
Considering he works that hard to be the face of the city as well as your football team, you pay the man for simply giving your franchise a good name after years of being the laughingstock of the NFL.
With breaking passing records left and right, Brees has also shown he is more than the worth investment and hassle of giving him a record breaking contract. It actually shouldn’t have even been a hassle when you consider the other members of the Saints who have shown they don’t have nearly the loyalty, production and respect for being faces of the team.
Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was the center of a bounty scandal that saw Roger Goodell suspend Williams for God knows how long, head coach Sean Payton for a season, general manager Micky Loomis for eight games, assistant Joe Vitt for six and Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma for a year. The precedent that the faces, the suits, the legitimate overseers of everything Saints football set with allowing that to happen should have served as so much more reason for the Saints to get this over with sooner rather than later.
Brees has his money, that’s what is most important. It just seems that the Saints somehow didn’t get what’s really important, make your most important commodity feel like they are just that. It doesn’t mean to coddle Brees, it just means give the man what it is he wants. Considering the 5,476 yards he threw for last year, the Super Bowl he gave you and the 63 wins he’s led you to in six seasons, what about wanting to be the highest paid quarterback in the NFL made you scoff?
The idea of Chase Daniel being your quarterback this year couldn’t have been appealing with the threat of a looming negotiation deadline coming up.
Alas, the deal is done and Brees has his money. But it’s something about taking so long to reward their franchise player that screams the Saints just being a bit more boneheaded than the bounty scandal alluded to.
