There is a growing sense of belief that both Drew Brees and Sean Payton will not be with the Saints next season. That sense is not shared by Brees himself.
During an appearance on NFL Network’s “NFLHQ” Tuesday morning, Brees was asked if he can envision a scenario in which him and Payton are not in New Orleans comes 2016.
“No, I don’t,” he said confidently. “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. 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.
“Unfortunately, we had high expectations going into this year and we fell a bit short. But I’m confident with the character, the leadership, the talent we have.”
The Saints are 6-9 and look like a team that is rebuilding. It’s very difficult to rebuild when you have a quarterback who is set to count $30 million against the salary cap, which is why there are reports that Brees is going to have to take less money if he wants to remain in New Orleans.
Brees threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns while dealing with a torn plantar fascia in a loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. He has only missed one game despite the foot injury and a throwing shoulder injury earlier this season. But given that he will turn 37 next month, you have to wonder if the Saints are starting to worry about Brees breaking down.
As for Payton, there have been plenty of rumors (this is the most recent one) linking him to other NFL teams. The Saints have him under contract through 2017, so they would likely want compensation from any NFL team that looked to hire the head coach. That could complicate things.
