New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees poses as he signs his new contract with the team Sunday, July 15 in Metairie. The new agreement is a historic $100 million, five-year deal that gives him the highest average annual pay in NFL history. (Associated Press)
Gazzolo: Saints go all-in with Brees signing
Last Modified: Sunday, July 15, 2012 9:41 PM
By Jim Gazzolo / American Press
With one final swipe of a pen, the Saints pushed all their chips into the middle of the table.
They did not, however, wipe away all their troubles from an offseason of embarrassment, suspensions and confusion.
But they did take a giant leap in the only direction they could — forward.
By signing Drew Brees to the biggest contract in pro football history, the Saints also proved they are all in.
No excuses, not ifs, ands or buts. It is win or go home.
They can try and use the excuse of the bounty problems and the suspensions that followed, but it won’t matter. This is now about the present.
The future is for dreamers and the past is for historians. The Saints are about the now.
Owner Tom Benson has made it clear he is willing to gamble the future well being of his franchise for another shot at the brass ring.
It is Super Bowl or bust for the rest of the Drew Brees era.
With the now 33-year-old quarterback showing no signs of slowing down, it is a fact of life that he isn’t getting any younger.
By committing $100 million to him over the next five seasons — with a giant chunk of that guaranteed — the Saints have said this is their last few best shots at getting back to the promise land.
They, of course, had no options. It was either sign Brees or become irrelevant, again.
Already the laughingstock on the league over Bountygate, the Saints could not let their final shots at winning a championship go away without a fight. They had to sign Brees and hope for the best.
It is possible that no player in league history had more leverage during contract negotiations than Brees. And he milked his power for ever minute and every dime.
He did what every good businessman would do, should do. He cut the best deal for himself. It is not up to him to build a winner, it is up to the Saints front office.
Now they are under the gun.
Of course, that now leaves the club with fewer options if he were to get hurt, but that has been the case the last few years any way. And adding big-price talent will take a lot of work, but, hey, you got the cornerstone.
While Brees has always said it wasn’t all about the money, in the end it appears — like always — it was. He now has his, but is there enough left to go around and keep the Saints contenders? That’s the newest big question.
Granted, they have made a few changes on defense, which is the only reason they remain a one-time NFL champion. But have they done enough to leap past the other elite NFC teams, all of whom appear to have gotten better in the offseason?
Signing Brees really just keeps the Saints on the same level as a year ago, and that was not good enough to win a road playoff game when needed.
Now they will have to do it without their defensive leader Jonathan Vilma and head coach Sean Payton. Heck, even their interim head coach won’t be around at the beginning of the season.
Still, this appears to be the year the Saints had to make their move.
The talent, while aging, seems to have one more run left in it. The Super Bowl is being played in New Orleans, and just about everybody in the world who likes the Saints has a giant chip on their shoulder after a brutal and embarrassing offseason.
So, it would appear with Brees back in the fold, the stars may have aligned perfectly for the Saints.
None of that matters really. The fact is the Saints had to sign Brees and now they have done so.
Whether or not it pays off won’t be decided until February. Let the chips fall where they may.
Jim Gazzolo is American Press managing sports editor. Email him at jgazzolo@americanpress.com
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