While one legend walks on, Drew Brees and the Saints are together to the end
By Ryan Brown
As changes of the guard happen across the NFL during this free agency period, Drew Brees is officially staying in New Orleans.
Shortly after quarterback Tom Brady announced his departure from the New England Patriots, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints announced he is coming back on a two-year deal.
As announced by NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, Brees and the Saints agreed to a two-year, $50 million deal. Something everyone knew would happen eventually finally becomes official.
The #Saints agree to terms with QB Drew Brees, source said. He gets a 2-year deal worth roughly $50M. Never in doubt, but now done. And Brees took less to help the team continue to build.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
Brees could have easily asked for a huge contract and the Saints likely would have obliged. But Brees is a team player and wants to win. The best way for an aging quarterback to continue to win is to have an increasingly talented team around him.
Last year’s Saints team was one of the most talented rosters in the league and a favorite to make the Super Bowl in the NFC. After another crushing playoff loss at home to the Vikings in the Wild Card round, the Saints were left with another amazing year with a talented team and nothing to show for it. Since the Super Bowl win following the 2009 season, the Saints have suffered heartbreaking playoff losses one after another.
After this years playoff loss, Brees announced that he wanted to take some time to make a decision about whether he would come back or not. Speculation started about if Teddy Bridgewater or Taysom Hill would be New Orleans’s quarterback of the future if Brees decided to call it a career. But a month later, Brees decided he wanted to make another run at it.
Brees gives the Saints the best chance to win a championship now, even with his declining arm strength. Last season wasn’t a bad season overall. He still is incredibly sharp and accurate with the football, posting his second best completion percentage in his career (and for anyone in NFL history) with 74.3%. He passed for less than 3,000 yards (just barely) for the first time ever as a Saint, but still put up 27 touchdowns to only four interceptions while missing five games.
It’s clear he can no longer throw as far as he could in his prime, but Brees is still an incredible leader and decision maker on the field and can read just about any situation in a game.
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With a couple new offensive weapons to go with Michael Thomas, Alvin Kamara, and Jared Cook and an even more improved defense, the Saints can continue to be a threat in the NFC and a Super Bowl contender with Brees under center.