Quarterback Drew Brees, who broke a 27-year-old record this season when he passed for 5,476 yards, has the potential to be a free agent this winter, but head coach Sean Payton doesn’t plan to let him test the free agent market.
“I don’t even know if stunned would be a strong enough word,” Payton said in response to a question about Brees leaving for another team. “I don’t see that happening.”
Brees has thrown for the most yards of any NFL quarterback since he joined the Saints in 2006, including two of the five quarterback seasons in NFL history with over 5,000 passing yards.
It’s certainly not in the Saints interest to let Brees go, and giving him a contract on the order of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning seems the only reasonable way to reward one of the handful of truly elite quarterbacks in the league.
As far as the timetable for getting a deal done with Brees, Payton said, “Certainly, the sooner the better, and yet I think this time away here initially after season ended will be good for everyone to kind remove yourself from the emotion of the season.”
