The Times-Picayune's Mike Triplett says no deal with the Saints would "be the biggest upset of the NFL season." The Times-Picayune's Mike Triplett is betting that the Saints and Drew Brees will agree on a five-year year contract that will make the quarterback the highest paid player in NFL history. The deal could come this week, Triplett suggests, but might be negotiated right up to the 3 p.m. July 16 deadline. The contract is likely to be between $19.2 million and $20 per year. "Only an absurd amount of stubbornness could get in the way now," Triplett writes, adding:
The Saints have already offered Brees the richest contract in league history, surpassing the $19.2 million per year that the Denver Broncos gave quarterback Peyton Manning earlier this year, though it's not clear exactly how the deal is structured.
Frankly, that should be enough to get the deal done. And maybe it will be if the Saints refuse to give another inch over the next week.
Meanwhile, Brees and agent Tom Condon will try to push that number up to $20 million per year, and they'll push for more guaranteed money and more money in the first three years. And good for them if they can get it.
This could be the last big contract of Brees' career, and he deserves as much as he can get after outperforming all of his previous contracts.
But once Brees has leveraged the Saints' final offer as high as it can go, it would be hard to imagine him walking away from such a lucrative long-term deal.
Read more of Triplett's analysis here.