Saints tag Brees (1 Viewer)

[beef]

If Brees were 6'5" instead of 6'0" this would not be happening. Tall people get paid more in the workforce, I saw it on 60 Minutes. Brees is experiencing discrimination.

 

[Donnybrook]

The Saints have signed deals with Lofton and now Hawthorne. It almost like they could careless about getting a deal done with Brees this year.

 

[KCitons]

The Saints have signed deals with Lofton and now Hawthorne. It almost like they could careless about getting a deal done with Brees this year.

I actually think this may be an important step to getting Brees signed. We have to remember that the Saints Defense is looking at suspensions that could decimate them. I'm betting that the Saints have a pretty good idea that those suspensions could be more than just a few games. Now that they have spent the money to solidify their defense, they can move forward to resign Brees. As it stood 2 weeks ago, they had know idea who was going to be available on defense. Brees was going to be available in a month or two for negotiating a long term deal.

 

[Doug B]

The Saints have signed deals with Lofton and now Hawthorne. It almost like they could careless about getting a deal done with Brees this year.

I actually think this may be an important step to getting Brees signed. We have to remember that the Saints Defense is looking at suspensions that could decimate them. I'm betting that the Saints have a pretty good idea that those suspensions could be more than just a few games. Now that they have spent the money to solidify their defense, they can move forward to resign Brees.

They're actually doing free agency "backwards". The assumption back in February was that the team would sign Brees first, and then figure out what other signings & moves they had to make. Instead, it's been "do everything else first" and then sign Brees when all the dust settles.There's about a week and a half left before OTAs ... I expect Brees to miss those. After that, the next hard deadline is training camp. Looking for a Brees signing in late July. Hope I'm wrong and its sooner.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

CBS Sports is reporting that Brees is growing very frustrated with the negotiation process...this is so sad that it has come to this.

 

[saintfool]

CBS Sports is reporting that Brees is growing very frustrated with the negotiation process...this is so sad that it has come to this.

sad? silly might be more accurate.the last i heard, the difference between what he was asking for and what they offered is something like $3 million. just pay the man and move along.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

CBS Sports is reporting that Brees is growing very frustrated with the negotiation process...this is so sad that it has come to this.

sad? silly might be more accurate.the last i heard, the difference between what he was asking for and what they offered is something like $3 million. just pay the man and move along.

How bout both? I just think it's insulting to have these kind of riffs when Manning and Brady always just quietly announce they have an extension etc...I don't understand why the Saints are playing games with this. It's not good for the fan base.

 

[psychobillies]

CBS Sports is reporting that Brees is growing very frustrated with the negotiation process...this is so sad that it has come to this.

sad? silly might be more accurate.the last i heard, the difference between what he was asking for and what they offered is something like $3 million. just pay the man and move along.

I don't know. It's entirely possible that Brees is being unreasonable. I'd bet he and his agent are using all the bounty stuff to their advantage, trying to leverage the Saints for more money. Maybe the Saints don't want to panic like the general public and overpay because they need a good week of headlines. I think Loomis realizes that in spite of Brees going public with the negotiations, that he'll eventually sign his deal at fair market value. Once it does all of this will be forgotten in about a week.

 

[Donnybrook]

http://www.chicagotr...0,7462422.story

Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also negotiated the Manning deal with the Colts and Manning's latest contract -- the richest in NFL history at an average of $19.2 million per season -- with the Broncos.

Who should be making more money? Brees or Manning?

 

[psychobillies]

http://www.chicagotr...0,7462422.story

Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also negotiated the Manning deal with the Colts and Manning's latest contract -- the richest in NFL history at an average of $19.2 million per season -- with the Broncos.

Who should be making more money? Brees or Manning?

Hard to say. Should be real close. The biggest difference i see is that the Saints actually have a really talented team, with lots of good players deserving lucrative contracts. They also are always players in free agency. The Colts had some nice pieces, but basically just said F it. We've got Manning. That's good for 12 wins a year.

 

[saintfool]

I don't know. It's entirely possible that Brees is being unreasonable. I'd bet he and his agent are using all the bounty stuff to their advantage, trying to leverage the Saints for more money. Maybe the Saints don't want to panic like the general public and overpay because they need a good week of headlines.

from what i have read, he's being pretty rationale about it. he honored his original contract which was for $10m a year for six years, despite putting up sick numbers and winning a SB. he didn't whine about that contract. i suspect the sticking point isn't about a million here or there but rather the length of contract.

I think Loomis realizes that in spite of Brees going public with the negotiations, that he'll eventually sign his deal at fair market value. Once it does all of this will be forgotten in about a week.

Loomis needs Brees more than Brees needs him, I think. He is the franchise, for better or worse.

 

[Doug B]

There's about a week and a half left before OTAs ... I expect Brees to miss those. After that, the next hard deadline is training camp. Looking for a Brees signing in late mid-July. Hope I'm wrong and its sooner.

Slight correction to my earlier projection -- Brees has until July 16th to sign a long-term contract. Otherwise, he's stuck with the tag amount for one year (but could still go nuclear and hold out the whole season).There will media rumblings from time to time, but the Saints won't budge until mid-July and they have to budge. If a deal is done significantly sooner, it will be because Brees caves. Loomis is totally dug in. I guess there's a non-zero chance that Benson swoops in, over-rules Loomis, and gives Brees something very close to what he's asking for now ... not counting on that, though.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Brees was on the flagship WWL radio yesterday. It's too bad WWL doesn't have any real journalists, and the regular hosts they do have are so compromised and beholden to the organization and Tom Benson it's sickening (& typically not worth listening to), but the guy (who goes by "Big Chief") they had doing the interview did a passable job throwing some decent semi-tough questions at Brees.

Bottom line is:

- Benson lied when he said he had talked to Brees.

- Brees said his team (Condon I suppose) had contacted the Saints several times, frequently even, with no response.

- They are not just $2 million apart. Brees in almost every statement he makes publicly uses the phrase "long term" and states he wishes to retire with the Saints.

People have to remember or may not know what a horrendous front office history this organization had before Katrina, what fortune they have found in Payton and Brees, and how much of their success has also been driven by the fans and the home crowds and public support. The team has nearly perfected the home game experience, not just from a spectator point of view but from a winning point of view: the Saints were undefeated at home last year and BUT FOR failed 4th down pass from the TB Bucs' 7 yard line and a whole series inside the Bucs' 10 the Saints might have gone all the way with home field advantage and won the Super Bowl yet again this year. The point just being that Benson and Loomis have been portrayed or treated like geniuses (yes there have been some awesome talent evaluation and draft picks but how much of that is coming from the coaching staff) when the reality is they have been very, very, very fortunate (not just in terms of winning but in terms of big time $$$$$$$$$$, almost a half billion in increased value) in their situation.

Brees is due this money and the People of this City and the fans are due Benson shelling out what it takes to keep this program moving.

If Benson doesn't pay Brees the villagers need to grab their pitchforks and burn the Benson Tower down like a modern day Frankenstein's Castle.

My family has had tickets since Day 1, 1967. We would not be the only ones to consider cancelling our subscription if Brees is not treated right; that season ticket waiting list could go sub-30,000 in a hurry.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

There's about a week and a half left before OTAs ... I expect Brees to miss those. After that, the next hard deadline is training camp. Looking for a Brees signing in late mid-July. Hope I'm wrong and its sooner.

Slight correction to my earlier projection -- Brees has until July 16th to sign a long-term contract. Otherwise, he's stuck with the tag amount for one year (but could still go nuclear and hold out the whole season).There will media rumblings from time to time, but the Saints won't budge until mid-July and they have to budge. If a deal is done significantly sooner, it will be because Brees caves. Loomis is totally dug in. I guess there's a non-zero chance that Benson swoops in, over-rules Loomis, and gives Brees something very close to what he's asking for now ... not counting on that, though.

This is how it has to be: NO GM ON EARTH OF ANY BUSINESS can make the single largest asset or capital investment without the owner's involvement. Can't happen. This is the kind of thing that takes personal, involved, in-depth commitment and involvement from the owner, in this case the curmudgeon who was faced with bottles and Cokes being thrown at him in Tiger Stadium as he muttered "San Antonio, San Antonio" under his breath - Tom Benson.ETA: Anyone who gets in a p1ssing contest with Drew Brees is going to *lose*.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

http://www.chicagotr...0,7462422.story

Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also negotiated the Manning deal with the Colts and Manning's latest contract -- the richest in NFL history at an average of $19.2 million per season -- with the Broncos.

Who should be making more money? Brees or Manning?

Brees - & here's why: the value of the Saints since Katrina has risen by perhaps half a billion dollars (I don't know if that's exactly correct but it's in that neighborhood I'd wager) and almost all of that is attributable to Payton and Brees.Brees in particular has brought a classiness, commitment and professionalism never seen in the Saints and which is rarely found in New Orleans in general from public personas.

This is like a situation where someone has invested sweat equity for six years while watching a business grow exponentially as a result, is promised to get his final reward down the road, and when that person finally comes to ownership and says he is ready to be a partner is told, "mmmmm, no, you're worth x amount only" and all that past sunk investment is ignored no matter how much the value has been gained from it. It's beyond wrong, it's dumb.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

I don't know. It's entirely possible that Brees is being unreasonable. I'd bet he and his agent are using all the bounty stuff to their advantage, trying to leverage the Saints for more money. Maybe the Saints don't want to panic like the general public and overpay because they need a good week of headlines.

from what i have read, he's being pretty rationale about it. he honored his original contract which was for $10m a year for six years, despite putting up sick numbers and winning a SB. he didn't whine about that contract. i suspect the sticking point isn't about a million here or there but rather the length of contract.

I think Loomis realizes that in spite of Brees going public with the negotiations, that he'll eventually sign his deal at fair market value. Once it does all of this will be forgotten in about a week.

Loomis needs Brees more than Brees needs him, I think. He is the franchise, for better or worse.

People need to remember this the next time they crap on players for not honoring their contracts...hasn't done Brees a lot of good. And he was prominent in getting the players and owners to agree on everything. Great post!!!

 

[Shutout]

http://www.chicagotr...0,7462422.story

Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also negotiated the Manning deal with the Colts and Manning's latest contract -- the richest in NFL history at an average of $19.2 million per season -- with the Broncos.

Who should be making more money? Brees or Manning?

Brees - & here's why: the value of the Saints since Katrina has risen by perhaps half a billion dollars (I don't know if that's exactly correct but it's in that neighborhood I'd wager) and almost all of that is attributable to Payton and Brees.Brees in particular has brought a classiness, commitment and professionalism never seen in the Saints and which is rarely found in New Orleans in general from public personas.

This is like a situation where someone has invested sweat equity for six years while watching a business grow exponentially as a result, is promised to get his final reward down the road, and when that person finally comes to ownership and says he is ready to be a partner is told, "mmmmm, no, you're worth x amount only" and all that past sunk investment is ignored no matter how much the value has been gained from it. It's beyond wrong, it's dumb.

I don't want to disagree with you but the reality of it is this is business and New Orleans isn't in the wrong anymore than Brees is. Colonel Sanders built Kentucky fried Chicken and got about $2M out of it. The guy that bought it from him sold it for $285M. they didn't give any back to the colonel for his sweat and hard work. The bottom line is, when no one else was willing to offer brees work, the Saints did. And they offered him a very good salary AND HE ACCEPTED it. Both sides obviosuly benefited during the contract and the Saints had a chance to do a long-term deal prior to this point and chose not to. Now Brees has to negotiate, or sign and play, or not play or get paid at all. Its really that simple when you boil it down.I absolutely think the Saints should pay the man and do it with a smile on their faces and keep the good will rolling. To me, its not worth the ill will or fallout that comes with it and they certainly don't need more than they have right now. But, it IS a business and there really are no bad guys or good guys; just disagreements.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Brees was on the flagship WWL radio yesterday. It's too bad WWL doesn't have any real journalists, and the regular hosts they do have are so compromised and beholden to the organization and Tom Benson it's sickening (& typically not worth listening to), but the guy (who goes by "Big Chief") they had doing the interview did a passable job throwing some decent semi-tough questions at Brees.Bottom line is:- Benson lied when he said he had talked to Brees.- Brees said his team (Condon I suppose) had contacted the Saints several times, frequently even, with no response.- They are not just $2 million apart. Brees in almost every statement he makes publicly uses the phrase "long term" and states he wishes to retire with the Saints.People have to remember or may not know what a horrendous front office history this organization had before Katrina, what fortune they have found in Payton and Brees, and how much of their success has also been driven by the fans and the home crowds and public support. The team has nearly perfected the home game experience, not just from a spectator point of view but from a winning point of view: the Saints were undefeated at home last year and BUT FOR failed 4th down pass from the TB Bucs' 7 yard line and a whole series inside the Bucs' 10 the Saints might have gone all the way with home field advantage and won the Super Bowl yet again this year. The point just being that Benson and Loomis have been portrayed or treated like geniuses (yes there have been some awesome talent evaluation and draft picks but how much of that is coming from the coaching staff) when the reality is they have been very, very, very fortunate (not just in terms of winning but in terms of big time $$$, almost a half billion in increased value) in their situation. Brees is due this money and the People of this City and the fans are due Benson shelling out what it takes to keep this program moving.If Benson doesn't pay Brees the villagers need to grab their pitchforks and burn the Benson Tower down like a modern day Frankenstein's Castle.My family has had tickets since Day 1, 1967. We would not be the only ones to consider cancelling our subscription if Brees is not treated right; that season ticket waiting list could go sub-30,000 in a hurry.

Another grand slam post...this is exactly what I would feel. You stuck it out, you went thru the ups and a lot of downs, many many losing seasons, a Hurricane that ravaged the Superdome and all of New Orleans, the team had to play a home game in New York for goodness sake and now after the rise and Super Bowl run the fans are going to be treated like this? Drew Brees? Benson really showing his true colors in all of this. I feel terrible for the fan base as this only makes all the other nonsense worse. Benson made a fortune on Brees, just pay the man and stop the nonsense.

 

[Sweet Love]

Does anyone ever stop to think that maybe a contributing reason to the recent success of the Saints is that they have had Brees at a reasonable contract, therefore they have been able to sign other good players??? There is a salary cap and a floor (and not much inbetween). I can't find anything too recent, but the Saints were right in the middle of the pack come spring, and they signed a bunch of their guys. It is not like Benson has the team at 90 million when the rest of the league is at 123 million!!! Maybe they are just trying to remain competitive...

 

[Shutout]

Per Forbes:

Saints purchased by Benson in 1985 for $70M

Value in 2006-$738M

Value today-$965M

I think everyone's done ok on all sides. Its fed the owner's family, Brees', and stimulated the economy to feed New Orleans.

 

[Donnybrook]

http://www.chicagotr...0,7462422.story

Brees is represented by Tom Condon, who also negotiated the Manning deal with the Colts and Manning's latest contract -- the richest in NFL history at an average of $19.2 million per season -- with the Broncos.

Who should be making more money? Brees or Manning?

Brees - & here's why: the value of the Saints since Katrina has risen by perhaps half a billion dollars (I don't know if that's exactly correct but it's in that neighborhood I'd wager) and almost all of that is attributable to Payton and Brees.Brees in particular has brought a classiness, commitment and professionalism never seen in the Saints and which is rarely found in New Orleans in general from public personas.

This is like a situation where someone has invested sweat equity for six years while watching a business grow exponentially as a result, is promised to get his final reward down the road, and when that person finally comes to ownership and says he is ready to be a partner is told, "mmmmm, no, you're worth x amount only" and all that past sunk investment is ignored no matter how much the value has been gained from it. It's beyond wrong, it's dumb.

I would say Brees as well but my reasoning would be more limited to on the field performance. I'd argue that QB coming off IR has to have less value than a QB who has just passed for 5000 yards.

 

[psychobillies]

Brees was on the flagship WWL radio yesterday. It's too bad WWL doesn't have any real journalists, and the regular hosts they do have are so compromised and beholden to the organization and Tom Benson it's sickening (& typically not worth listening to), but the guy (who goes by "Big Chief") they had doing the interview did a passable job throwing some decent semi-tough questions at Brees.Bottom line is:- Benson lied when he said he had talked to Brees.- Brees said his team (Condon I suppose) had contacted the Saints several times, frequently even, with no response.- They are not just $2 million apart. Brees in almost every statement he makes publicly uses the phrase "long term" and states he wishes to retire with the Saints.People have to remember or may not know what a horrendous front office history this organization had before Katrina, what fortune they have found in Payton and Brees, and how much of their success has also been driven by the fans and the home crowds and public support. The team has nearly perfected the home game experience, not just from a spectator point of view but from a winning point of view: the Saints were undefeated at home last year and BUT FOR failed 4th down pass from the TB Bucs' 7 yard line and a whole series inside the Bucs' 10 the Saints might have gone all the way with home field advantage and won the Super Bowl yet again this year. The point just being that Benson and Loomis have been portrayed or treated like geniuses (yes there have been some awesome talent evaluation and draft picks but how much of that is coming from the coaching staff) when the reality is they have been very, very, very fortunate (not just in terms of winning but in terms of big time $$$, almost a half billion in increased value) in their situation. Brees is due this money and the People of this City and the fans are due Benson shelling out what it takes to keep this program moving.If Benson doesn't pay Brees the villagers need to grab their pitchforks and burn the Benson Tower down like a modern day Frankenstein's Castle.My family has had tickets since Day 1, 1967. We would not be the only ones to consider cancelling our subscription if Brees is not treated right; that season ticket waiting list could go sub-30,000 in a hurry.

Another grand slam post...this is exactly what I would feel. You stuck it out, you went thru the ups and a lot of downs, many many losing seasons, a Hurricane that ravaged the Superdome and all of New Orleans, the team had to play a home game in New York for goodness sake and now after the rise and Super Bowl run the fans are going to be treated like this? Drew Brees? Benson really showing his true colors in all of this. I feel terrible for the fan base as this only makes all the other nonsense worse. Benson made a fortune on Brees, just pay the man and stop the nonsense.

A little dramatic don't you think? It's not like they don't want to sign him. They just want to be able to do so in a way that's managable under the cap. They could sign him tomorrow for all we know. They'll get it done, probably right before the deadline, and all of this will be forgotten. The fans will move on almost immediately afterwards. So will Brees. It happens every year in the NFL.Now if they don't get it done, then sure come back and revisit this, but to criticize Benson and Loomis at this point for being prudent is kind of silly.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Brees was on the flagship WWL radio yesterday. It's too bad WWL doesn't have any real journalists, and the regular hosts they do have are so compromised and beholden to the organization and Tom Benson it's sickening (& typically not worth listening to), but the guy (who goes by "Big Chief") they had doing the interview did a passable job throwing some decent semi-tough questions at Brees.Bottom line is:- Benson lied when he said he had talked to Brees.- Brees said his team (Condon I suppose) had contacted the Saints several times, frequently even, with no response.- They are not just $2 million apart. Brees in almost every statement he makes publicly uses the phrase "long term" and states he wishes to retire with the Saints.People have to remember or may not know what a horrendous front office history this organization had before Katrina, what fortune they have found in Payton and Brees, and how much of their success has also been driven by the fans and the home crowds and public support. The team has nearly perfected the home game experience, not just from a spectator point of view but from a winning point of view: the Saints were undefeated at home last year and BUT FOR failed 4th down pass from the TB Bucs' 7 yard line and a whole series inside the Bucs' 10 the Saints might have gone all the way with home field advantage and won the Super Bowl yet again this year. The point just being that Benson and Loomis have been portrayed or treated like geniuses (yes there have been some awesome talent evaluation and draft picks but how much of that is coming from the coaching staff) when the reality is they have been very, very, very fortunate (not just in terms of winning but in terms of big time $$$, almost a half billion in increased value) in their situation. Brees is due this money and the People of this City and the fans are due Benson shelling out what it takes to keep this program moving.If Benson doesn't pay Brees the villagers need to grab their pitchforks and burn the Benson Tower down like a modern day Frankenstein's Castle.My family has had tickets since Day 1, 1967. We would not be the only ones to consider cancelling our subscription if Brees is not treated right; that season ticket waiting list could go sub-30,000 in a hurry.

Another grand slam post...this is exactly what I would feel. You stuck it out, you went thru the ups and a lot of downs, many many losing seasons, a Hurricane that ravaged the Superdome and all of New Orleans, the team had to play a home game in New York for goodness sake and now after the rise and Super Bowl run the fans are going to be treated like this? Drew Brees? Benson really showing his true colors in all of this. I feel terrible for the fan base as this only makes all the other nonsense worse. Benson made a fortune on Brees, just pay the man and stop the nonsense.

A little dramatic don't you think? It's not like they don't want to sign him. They just want to be able to do so in a way that's managable under the cap. They could sign him tomorrow for all we know. They'll get it done, probably right before the deadline, and all of this will be forgotten. The fans will move on almost immediately afterwards. So will Brees. It happens every year in the NFL.Now if they don't get it done, then sure come back and revisit this, but to criticize Benson and Loomis at this point for being prudent is kind of silly.

I don't think they are being prudent. - It's a dramatic situation - can you think of any team ever having a more dramatic off-season plus this team means something more than just football to this city.- Ok, they want to sign him and they want to do so in a manageable way (allowing signing of other key players, etc) but don't doubt for a second that even given that Benson would not try to skimp, save and cut corners beyond that. This is the same guy who allowed the dismantling of the only prior decent version of this franchise with various contract disputes (Hebert, Mills, Anderson, walls, etc.). Let's face it, without Brees no matter who they sign under that well-managed cap will matter one iota (and before Brees & Payton most decent free agents did not even want to come here). You think it is panicky to think about this in this way? What in the heck is going to change by July 16th? If it can be done then it should be done now, there is no excuse.- There is urgency here. With Payton out Brees is a key part of drawing up and installing the offense. Every day he is out is a day lost to planning. Not to mention formal or informal practice time with WR's etc. They have an offense to install and of course there is a huge leadership void.- They are treating the best and most singular championship icon in the franchise's history with disrespect, plain and simple. I don't think this happens every day in the NFL with players of this magnitude. Did Brady or Manning have to wait like this without even getting phone calls back? Don't forget, this was on the table last offseason, pre-August, then in the post-season, and now, this has been going on forever.- One thing not getting mentioned here are the reports being leaked recently regarding the problems with Benson's administration, starting with presumed heir Rita Benson LeBlanc. Benson's like 85 years old and I'm not sure that things are being all that well managed.Frankly, sorry, this season counts, no one is throwing in the towel. You don't think Brees is thinking of a home Super Bowl? The fans are. I'm not convinced Loomis and Benson are at this rate. The fans are and want to see an aggressive approach.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

A little dramatic don't you think? It's not like they don't want to sign him. They just want to be able to do so in a way that's managable under the cap. They could sign him tomorrow for all we know. They'll get it done, probably right before the deadline, and all of this will be forgotten. The fans will move on almost immediately afterwards. So will Brees. It happens every year in the NFL.Now if they don't get it done, then sure come back and revisit this, but to criticize Benson and Loomis at this point for being prudent is kind of silly.

Hey PB, we definitely feel different about this. I think it shows very poor ownership. Of course they want to sign him in a way that is cap friendly...other teams did the same thing with their franchise QBs...making Brees grovel to the media and express his displeasure...sad IMHO. Everyone can feel whatever they like but it doesn't make the Saints front office look good on the surface. Who says their prudent? it's completely possible that they are forever effing this up and the relationship with Brees. How many franchise QBs ever get slapped with the franchise tag? Take the money out of the equation, has Brees earned the same respect that is automatically given to folks like Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Eli Manning? None of them had to beg for a nickel.

 

[psychobillies]

To MOP and SaintsinDome,

I'm not trying to minimize the value of Brees to this franchise. I'm a season ticket holder too, and I get it. That being said, let's not totally dismiss how unbelievably well managed this team has been since 2005. I know people are mad about a lot of stuff, but Loomis is one of the best in the business. Before this hold out, Benson had also pretty well redeemed himself as an owner. I'm not going to forget all of that because they are struggling with what will probably amount to the largest contract in league history. It's not easy, and I really think that missing a couple of OTA's isn't the end of the world.

Everybody in the city has collectively said to just give him what he wants. OK, Great. What if he wants 150 million guaranteed? Should they give it to him? Or should they draw a line somewhere that they feel it's manageable? Where would you make the cutoff? It has to be somewhere. They obviously have very different ideas about where that should be.

Does it look bad on the front office now? Sure. That will be reversed immediately after he signs. Like Dome said before, there is quite a lot going on with this franchise lately, and I think that is playing a part. Of course maybe Brees is trying to use the current turmoil against the Saints in these negotiations (which any good agent would advise) and they just aren't buckling. Nobody knows, but I have every confidence this will be done in time.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

To MOP and SaintsinDome,

I'm not trying to minimize the value of Brees to this franchise. I'm a season ticket holder too, and I get it. That being said, let's not totally dismiss how unbelievably well managed this team has been since 2005. I know people are mad about a lot of stuff, but Loomis is one of the best in the business. Before this hold out, Benson had also pretty well redeemed himself as an owner. I'm not going to forget all of that because they are struggling with what will probably amount to the largest contract in league history. It's not easy, and I really think that missing a couple of OTA's isn't the end of the world.

You obviously are siding with Loomis and Benson here...do you not think Brees is worth a contract similar to Manning or Brady? Brees honored his entire contract...I get the sense you feel $10m is more than ample pay for him or any QB for that matter.

Everybody in the city has collectively said to just give him what he wants. OK, Great. What if he wants 150 million guaranteed? Should they give it to him? Or should they draw a line somewhere that they feel it's manageable? Where would you make the cutoff? It has to be somewhere. They obviously have very different ideas about where that should be.

This makes me feel even stronger about the idea that you seem sort of jealous or almost like "If he can't play for $10m a year then just let him suffer or let him go". I'm not saying you can't feel that way but it's not realistic about Brees and what he is worth. At least half the league would pay him whatever he wants right now.

Does it look bad on the front office now? Sure. That will be reversed immediately after he signs. Like Dome said before, there is quite a lot going on with this franchise lately, and I think that is playing a part. Of course maybe Brees is trying to use the current turmoil against the Saints in these negotiations (which any good agent would advise) and they just aren't buckling. Nobody knows, but I have every confidence this will be done in time.

You don't seem to recognize Brees as one of the great QBs in the NFL and do you feel he is a first ballot HoF guy? Please take no offense, we just feel differently here.

 

[psychobillies]

To MOP and SaintsinDome,

I'm not trying to minimize the value of Brees to this franchise. I'm a season ticket holder too, and I get it. That being said, let's not totally dismiss how unbelievably well managed this team has been since 2005. I know people are mad about a lot of stuff, but Loomis is one of the best in the business. Before this hold out, Benson had also pretty well redeemed himself as an owner. I'm not going to forget all of that because they are struggling with what will probably amount to the largest contract in league history. It's not easy, and I really think that missing a couple of OTA's isn't the end of the world.

You obviously are siding with Loomis and Benson here...do you not think Brees is worth a contract similar to Manning or Brady? Brees honored his entire contract...I get the sense you feel $10m is more than ample pay for him or any QB for that matter.

Everybody in the city has collectively said to just give him what he wants. OK, Great. What if he wants 150 million guaranteed? Should they give it to him? Or should they draw a line somewhere that they feel it's manageable? Where would you make the cutoff? It has to be somewhere. They obviously have very different ideas about where that should be.

This makes me feel even stronger about the idea that you seem sort of jealous or almost like "If he can't play for $10m a year then just let him suffer or let him go". I'm not saying you can't feel that way but it's not realistic about Brees and what he is worth. At least half the league would pay him whatever he wants right now.

Does it look bad on the front office now? Sure. That will be reversed immediately after he signs. Like Dome said before, there is quite a lot going on with this franchise lately, and I think that is playing a part. Of course maybe Brees is trying to use the current turmoil against the Saints in these negotiations (which any good agent would advise) and they just aren't buckling. Nobody knows, but I have every confidence this will be done in time.

You don't seem to recognize Brees as one of the great QBs in the NFL and do you feel he is a first ballot HoF guy? Please take no offense, we just feel differently here.

1)I'm not necessarily siding with Benson and Loomis. I just don't think they are "bad guys" here like most seem to think. I'm hopeful that Brees gets a contract similar to Brady and Manning. In fact, all I've heard is that he rejected that, and wants more. Who knows if that's true?2)I'm not sure where you get "jealous" from. I fully realize 10 million isn't even close, but we are not talking about 10 million anymore. I'm glad he honored the contract, but as a Miami fan, I'm sure you remember that nobody else came close to offering a $60 million contract to Brees after his injury. He should have honored it, and because of the Saints faith in him at the time, other teams don't have the ability to give him whatever he wants. Should the Saints just piss that leverage away?

3)I have no idea why you think that I don't realize how great Brees is. Of course he is a first ballot hall of famer. Rodgers and Brady are the only other guys in the league playing at his level. Like I said before, I'm pretty sure this will be the largest contract in league history when it's all said and done.

I take no offense, and I see your point. I hope I'm not coming off as abrasive. I just wanted to interject into the conversation the possibility that Brees might be just as much at fault that nothing is getting done. I understand that he has the right to use the public as a negotiating tool, and I don't blame him. I also don't blame the Saints for using the tools at their disposal. If either side gets their feelings hurt, then shame on them. They all know that this is a business negotiation.