Shouldering the Drew Brees Burden

It came out yesterday afternoon that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will not reported to training cramp unless he has a long-term contract with the club.  People are pondering why the Saints are not ponying up the money because Brees is a top-five quarterback in the NFL.  The reason why Brees will not take the one-year tender is the exact reason why the Saints are unwilling to give him the money, his surgically-repaired shoulder.

The last time Brees agreed to the one-year tender, he wrecked his shoulder which cost him a chance to be the biggest free agent of that summer.  Instead, the Miami Dolphins and the Saints were the only two teams who still were interested in Brees, and he took the deal to play for 'Who Dat' Nation.  

Brees ended up winning the Super Bowl, and became a true ambassador of New Orleans as they still are trying to rebuild from Hurricane Katrina.  It seemed natural to give the 34-year old the same sort of money that 36-year old Peyton Manning got from the Denver Broncos considering his recent injury situation.  The Saints are still resilient that Brees will not get his money, and it makes absolute sense.

First of all, this season is a wash.  The Saints will not have Sean Payton for the entire year, and with an improved NFC South, it is really had to think the Saints will have a record higher than 9-7.  They still have the talent to be a contender in the NFC, but there isn't the structure that has been there for the last couple of the years that made a difference for this team.

Second, Brees is 34 with a bum shoulder.  Look, Manning got his money, but are we entirely sure he will be the same player?  That is the greatest mystery of the 2012 NFL season.  If they give Brees five years, are we convinced he will be playing football at age 39?  Who knows plus as we have seen with other quarterbacks, there is a definite chance for the decline at the other side of 35.

If the Saints had a backup quarterback like Aaron Rodgers waiting in the wings, I'm convinced they would have dealt Brees at some point in the offseason and rebuilt the entire franchise.  Since they don't have that, and they probably can ill-afford to do something at that drastic level, what about trading quarterback for quarterback?   Obviously, some other pieces would have to move, but who says no in a deal that is Tony Romo for Drew Brees?  Hear me about before you overreact like I do when I get Buzzy's fries hit out of my hand.  

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback is only 30, he is four years younger, and good enough to lead the Saints a similar successful season. They also could bring back a high draft pick for next year, and potentially draft a quarterback in what appears to be a great year for the QB prospects.  It's no secret Cowboys owner Jerry Jones probably wants another Super Bowl before he dies, and Brees would give him that chance more so than Romo.  Brees is also from Texas, and Jones would give him the money he wants.

I doubt the Saints make any move like that, but the Brees contract saga will become the Dwight Howard story of the month of August as the story we all get sick of talking about.

Charlie.