5 reasons Drew Brees extension is brilliant move by Saints

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Jan 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) passes against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

The New Orleans Saints have agreed to a five-year extension with 37-year-old quarterback Drew Brees. Here are five reasons this deal makes perfect sense.

The New Orleans Saints and veteran quarterback Drew Brees have agreed in principle on Wednesday to keep Brees with the Saints for the next five seasons. This deal has Brees making a guaranteed $44.25 million over the next two years, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter’s ESPN colleague Ed Werder points out the Saints can void the five-year extension after two seasons if they feel so inclined.

Brees is the best offensive player in Saints franchise history. He’ll go down as a top-10 quarterback all-time. At 37 years old, Brees still has enough left in the tank to help guide the Saints through this transitional rebuilding process.

While many football fans may hate the deal, here are five reasons that Brees’ five-year contract extension makes nothing but great sense for him and the Saints organization.

Sep 1, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) scrambles away from pressure during the first quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Brees plays his home games in a dome

This often gets overlooked, but playing eight games a year at home in a dome environment is huge for an NFL quarterback. Brees will have ideal field conditions and crowd noise shamelessly on his side every time he takes the field at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Crowd noise impacts the running game more than anything. The Superdome crowd will quiet when Brees needs to make an audible. On defense, crowd noise makes it harder for the opposition to run on the Saints.

Brees won’t have to toil in bad weather in his 30s for a northern outdoor team. Playing in a dome will inflate his passing statistics, bringing confidence to a Hall of Fame passer with an inevitably declining skill set.

New Orleans is guaranteeing 16 more home starts for Brees at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, a place that he has won at a high level for over a decade. It brings out the best in Brees and we’ll just have to wait and see how he plays away from New Orleans.

Next: 4. The Saints would be horrid without him

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