Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints have finally come to an agreement on a contract extension.
Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network reported on Tuesday that Brees will sign a two-year, $50 million deal with the Saints that includes $27 million guaranteed. The contract is structured in a team-friendly way that will leave New Orleans with plenty of cap space to use on free agents this offseason.
From @gmfb: The #Saints and QB Drew Brees have struck a deal, sources tell me and @SlaterNFL. He's back… and they still have room to party in free agency. pic.twitter.com/TMLpn1FUco
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
It was somewhat surprising that the Saints let negotiations get to the point where other teams could reach out to Brees (and at least one did), but this is the outcome that was expected. Brees said all along that he did not want to be anywhere other than New Orleans, and he continued to play at a high level last season.
While Brees, who is 39, is probably not going to throw for over 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns like he did in his prime, the Saints have a great two-headed monster in their backfield with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. They were legitimate contenders in the NFC last season, so it makes sense that they want to keep their core together. Now, it will be interesting to see if they bring back one of the most explosive playmakers in team history.
