In run of mega-contracts, none as big as re-signing Brees

Every week, it seems, a player is demanding to have a new contract or have it redone, extended, blown up, blessed by a priest or genetically engineered to produce baby contracts.

The names are huge and the money astounding. Quarterback Michael Vick got almost $40 million guaranteed in a new deal. Larry Fitzgerald's new money could buy him a large island in the South Pacific. Peyton Manning re-signed for five years at $18 million per. Chris Johnson, while angering fans with his tweets, just signed a new deal worth $53.5 million over four years, with $30 million guaranteed. DeSean Jackson also wants a new deal. Adrian Peterson is in line for a new contract.

On and on it goes. One personnel executive told me he has never seen a period in which so many high-profile players in such a short period all wanted or received new contracts. He doesn't think this is a coincidence. He calls it "the new CBA effect."

"There's a feeling that the league is awash in cash," he said, "and everyone wants a bite at the cash cow."

Can't blame them. That is one big, billion-dollar heifer.

One name that has gone slightly stealth under the new-contract radar? Quarterback Drew Brees.

I'm told by several sources the talks are moving along at a faster pace than is publicly known. There is still no indication when a new deal gets done, but it could be sooner than later.

In fact, though it remains unlikely, it's possible the two sides reach an agreement by the time the Saints open the regular season against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. Brees is in the final year of a six-year, $60 million deal.

With the recent run on new contracts, Brees could easily be next.

"They've been in discussions," Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune, referring to talks between his agent Tom Condon and the team. "That's been ongoing."

Of all the big names that have received new deals or are looking for one, none deserves it more than Brees.

Brees deserves to be the highest-paid player in the NFL not solely because of his skill on the field but because of what he's done off of it.

It's been many years since one guy has done so much for both his organization and the city in which he lives. In that regard, Brees is now in the same stratosphere as athletes like Bart Starr or Brett Favre, Wayne Gretzky when he was in Edmonton, Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Roberto Clemente in Pittsburgh, Cal Ripken in Baltimore and Hank Aaron in Milwaukee or Atlanta.

Sure, those are some seismic and historic names -- but tell me how Brees, who was key in helping a city recover from the worst natural disaster this country has seen and helped prevent the Saints from bolting town following Hurricane Katrina, doesn't belong in that select group.

Saints fans have a telling nickname for him: "Breesus."

Brees has the trifurcate working for him. First, what he did post-Katrina was astounding. Second, he's already a lock for the Hall of Fame. Third, though it was an unpopular stance to some fans, he was a key figure in a lockout that established peace with ownership for the next 10 years.

Six years after Katrina, there remains a closeness between Brees and New Orleans that is unmatched today in sports. The city bonded with Brees and Brees the city. It's something New Orleans will never forget.

"Obviously in so many ways New Orleans has come back better -- while in one moment you say, 'Look how far we've come,' you also have to say, 'What's still left to do?'" Brees told reporters this week. "And I think that's definitely motivation for all of us just to continue on. It's gone by fast. That's where you just have to say, 'Life does go by fast.' And so let's take advantage of every opportunity we have and improve our place to live."

More players will sign new deals. It's likely Jackson's new contract is next, but none will be as important as Brees signing his. None.

 

By Mike Freeman

 

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