Ian Rapoport References Internal Saints Frustration with Drew Brees Maximizing His Contract

It’s Sunday Morning NFL dirt and dish time with Ian Rapoport, you know, the time when players and organizations come out with strong denials after snippets of potential information are put out there. Today, the wheel falls on the New Orleans Saints. This is not a hard one. Things are going to be happening in New Orleans this offseason. The team is again at a crossroads, with Sean Payton and Drew Brees having been there for a decade, and Brees having a $30 million cap charge next year.

Brees’ cap number is probably too big to maintain status quo next year. This team has slid in the wrong direction, and paying Brees so the roster can win 6 games again is not ideal. But let’s not blame Brees for the idiocy of what has happened in New Orleans. Draft picks are cheap in terms of salary and the ideal situation is to be able to get young talent while retaining your own veterans at key positions. Look at the Saints’ recent drafts. Who’s the best player drafted in the last 4 years still contributing with the Saints? Maybe Brandin Cooks? And he hasn’t necessarily been a revelation. There’s your problem.

And let’s not even get into veterans. Dannell Ellerbe and Brandon Browner were two big defensive acquisitions. The Saints gave a big contract to Junior Gallette, then released him because he is crazy. Drew Brees is not the problem in New Orleans. The situation is so bad, though, that he probably won’t be around to be the solution and could be scapegoated on the way out.