Are Saints in Danger of Losing Drew Brees to the Vikings?

[mike2mike]

https://saintswire.usatoday.com/2018/03 ... a-vikings/

[S197]

So if the Vikings offered him, say, $22 million he would effectively make $40 million next year? I can see why they haven't come to a deal, the Saints are effectively $18 million behind other teams if I'm understanding that correctly. That's HUGE.

I said it early on, Brees staying in NO was never a guarantee. Highly probable but there was enough noncommittal from Payton at the end of the season that gave me pause. I hope Rick puts a strong offer on the table, I've made no qualms about going all in.

[YikesVikes]

So if the Vikings offered him, say, $22 million he would effectively make $40 million next year? I can see why they haven't come to a deal, the Saints are effectively $18 million behind other teams if I'm understanding that correctly. That's HUGE.

I said it early on, Brees staying in NO was never a guarantee. Highly probable but there was enough noncommittal from Payton at the end of the season that gave me pause. I hope Rick puts a strong offer on the table, I've made no qualms about going all in.

Agreed. Brees as he stands, is a considerable upgrade to Cousins. I just can't see him leaving. As someone living in DC, I've seen tons of Skins games. He's a great QB but he wilts and misses tons of throws at all levels.

[dead_poet]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

[mansquatch]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

From watching Brees, I did not get the impression that he is the same guy he was even a few seasons ago. He certainly can still compete, but his upside isn't what it once was. They went 11-5 this past year with Kamara, but prior to that they were 7-9 the past three seasons. Brees is 39 right now. He'll turn 40 on January 15th. No 40 yr old QB has ever started in and won the SB. IMO, Brees' best years are behind him. I see why people would want him, give his history, but IMO Cousins is the better choice in 2018. I know some won't agree.

[dead_poet]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

From watching Brees, I did not get the impression that he is the same guy he was even a few seasons ago. He certainly can still compete, but his upside isn't what it once was. They went 11-5 this past year with Kamara, but prior to that they were 7-9 the past three seasons. Brees is 39 right now. He'll turn 40 on January 15th. No 40 yr old QB has ever started in and won the SB. IMO, Brees' best years are behind him. I see why people would want him, give his history, but IMO Cousins is the better choice in 2018. I know some won't agree.

You realize they had historically terrible defenses.

Brees was not the problem.

[J. Kapp 11]

I'm watching NFL Free Agent Frenzy on NFL Network.

Every reporter there says Brees will resign with the Saints. They've taken his contract to the brink before, and the consensus is that he'll sign again. Ian Rapaport is rarely wrong on his reporting, and Mike Garafolo is solid, too.

This is a pipe dream.

[autobon7]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

From watching Brees, I did not get the impression that he is the same guy he was even a few seasons ago. He certainly can still compete, but his upside isn't what it once was. They went 11-5 this past year with Kamara, but prior to that they were 7-9 the past three seasons. Brees is 39 right now. He'll turn 40 on January 15th. No 40 yr old QB has ever started in and won the SB. IMO, Brees' best years are behind him. I see why people would want him, give his history, but IMO Cousins is the better choice in 2018. I know some won't agree.

I totally agree.....plus like others have said I just don't believe he will be avail anyway. Cousins is the better choice at the moment.

[YikesVikes]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

From watching Brees, I did not get the impression that he is the same guy he was even a few seasons ago. He certainly can still compete, but his upside isn't what it once was. They went 11-5 this past year with Kamara, but prior to that they were 7-9 the past three seasons. Brees is 39 right now. He'll turn 40 on January 15th. No 40 yr old QB has ever started in and won the SB. IMO, Brees' best years are behind him. I see why people would want him, give his history, but IMO Cousins is the better choice in 2018. I know some won't agree.

Man it's crazy how old these guys are.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I'd hate for this to be another Brett Farve past his prime but Brees seems to have more in the tank and I'd be infinitely more confident in him in the short-term than Cousins. And if the Vikings are seriously weighing a 3-year, fully guaranteed contract for Cousins, I think Brees would be able to be more effective over those three years. The only downside would be facing yet ANOTHER offseason in three years with no permanent QB. But hopefully we'd have a Lombardi or two by that point.

Sign me up.

From watching Brees, I did not get the impression that he is the same guy he was even a few seasons ago. He certainly can still compete, but his upside isn't what it once was. They went 11-5 this past year with Kamara, but prior to that they were 7-9 the past three seasons. Brees is 39 right now. He'll turn 40 on January 15th. No 40 yr old QB has ever started in and won the SB. IMO, Brees' best years are behind him. I see why people would want him, give his history, but IMO Cousins is the better choice in 2018. I know some won't agree.

I agree completely. Brees had a lot of help around him this year. And their D was much better. See what happens when you actually have a good D? You go 11-5. When you have a bad D, even with Drew Brees, you go 7-9. This is why records mean nothing to me. You need a TEAM. Not just a good QB. Washington never had a good TEAM. Neither did the saints in 2016

[mike2mike]

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/20 ... _free.html
Brees can now negotiate with other teams.
Saints don't take the cap hit until Wednesday so looks like they are letting him determine his value first before deciding whether to match or not.

[S197]

I'm watching NFL Free Agent Frenzy on NFL Network.

Every reporter there says Brees will resign with the Saints. They've taken his contract to the brink before, and the consensus is that he'll sign again. Ian Rapaport is rarely wrong on his reporting, and Mike Garafolo is solid, too.

This is a pipe dream.

Hey pipe dreams are what get me through Mondays!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[VikingLord]

Brees wants to maximize his leverage with the Saints. How does he do that if the Saints don't have to worry about him signing with another team?

I don't think Brees has any intention or even desire of signing elsewhere, but the Saints have to believe he could to avoid losing him. The Vikings are a perfect foil to help Brees maximize his contract at this stage of his career.

I'm not really sold on bringing in Brees either. I like him. I think he is a really good quarterback and probably does have some good years left. But I just don't see him as a good fit for the Vikings. He could easily turn out to be another Favre. If there are no better overall options, Brees makes sense. I know some aren't thrilled with Cousins, but he's younger and still has upside. He could easily become a longer-term answer at QB for a team that has spent a long time searching for a guy like that.

[halfgiz]

Just said on @nflnetwork: The #Vikings have made a call on Drew Brees,

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status ... 0533520384

[J. Kapp 11]

Just said on @nflnetwork: The #Vikings have made a call on Drew Brees,

https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status ... 0533520384

Don't get too excited just yet.

The Vikings have every incentive to make an offer to Drew Brees, even if they don't believe they can sign him. It drives the price up for Brees. Since the Saints are one of the NFC's top contenders and only have modest cap space at $28 million, driving up the price hurts the Saints.

Weird things happen, and I suppose Brees could actually have interest. But even if he doesn't, this is a smart move by the Vikings.