NEWSLETTER
It was inevitable as soon as the Saints bowed out to the Buccaneers in the playoffs, but it became official today.
Drew Brees is retiring from football. And in a fitting announcement, Brees used an Instagram video featuring his children to drive it home. Brees, 42, finishes his career as the league’s all-time leader in passing yards (80,358), second in passing touchdowns (571), and fifth in passer rating (98.7). He collected 13 Pro Bowl appearances, a first-team All-Pro nomination, a Super Bowl title in 2009, and Walter Payton Man of the Year honors in 2006. It’s a loaded résumé, to be sure.
Next up for Brees? Back in April 2020, Andrew Marchand (New York Post) reported Brees locked in a deal with NBC to work football games for the network. Expect to see Brees on Notre Dame games and on the network’s Football Night in America programming.
As for the Saints’ next move? Let’s start with some chaos:
Saints are restructuring QB Taysom Hill’s contract to create cap room. Details are great: it’s a 4-year, $140 million contract extension – but all years are voidable and it’s a mechanism to free up cap space this year, per source. It saves Saints over $7.5M against cap this year.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2021
Folks will gravitate to Taysom Hill getting a four-year, $140 million extension and stop reading. Let me advise you NOT TO DO THAT. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, this is all primarily a ploy to create salary cap space. In other words, don’t get lost in the noise. Hill’s new deal reportedly includes a $9.686 million signing bonus, $1.439 guaranteed roster bonus, $1.034 million in base salary guarantees, and incentives, to boot.
Even still .. this doesn’t necessarily place Hill as New Orleans’ QB1.
Behold, the Jameis Winston factor:
From @NFLNetwork: #Saints QB Drew Brees has finally officially retired, but New Orleans had already been working on a deal with Jameis Winston, the likely starter in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Nq1qV2cGa9
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2021
Now that Drew Brees has announced his retirement, the #Saints are expected to turn their attention to Jameis Winston, whose next contract could look a lot like the deal Cam Newton just signed in New England. @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/ImAN0TP3RX
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2021
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reports the Saints have been working to retain Winston. He goes as far as to refer to Winston as “the likely starter” in 2021. Meanwhile, NFL media teammate Tom Pelissero reports Winston’s deal with the Saints could be structured like Cam Newton. In other words, it could be a short-term pact that establishes Winston as a starter. But one that allows for flexibility if the team decides to draft a quarterback in April.
All that, and yet, not one mention of Russell Wilson being a possibility in New Orleans. Maybe the Saints’ cap issues and lack of tradable assets will keep them out on Wilson. Perhaps Seattle, fearing trading Wilson to a team it could meet in the postseason, could use that justification to cross that destination off the list. And if that’s the case, and New Orleans rolls with Winston and Hill at QB, then this is ultimately a win for the Bears’ own pursuit of Wilson.
So, stay tuned…
