Contract saga over as New Orleans Saints resort to franchise tagging QB Drew Brees - NFL News
The saga is over for now as the New Orleans Saints announced on Saturday that they are placing the franchise tag on quarterback Drew Brees.
The tag will cost Saints an expected $ 14.4 million according to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the price expected to rise as the costs are re-evaluated at the start of the new season.
New Orleans and their quarterback have been locked in contract negotiations since the start of the offseason yet no deal could be agreed upon due to differences between both sides on wages.
The Saints had earlier offered Brees a new mega contract that would have made him the highest paid player in the league yet the quarterback had reportedly refused the offer.
With a deal looking increasingly unlikely and the deadline of March 5thto place the franchise tag on players fast approaching, New Orleans were left with no option but to place the tag on the 33-year-old.
It remains to be seen how the placement of the franchise tag on Brees will affect the Saints negotiations with two other first team players, wide receiver Marques Colston and guard Carl Nicks, who will reach free agency if no deal could be agreed upon.
According to ESPN, Brees is looking for $ 23 million for the first three years of his new deal while the Saints had offered a five-year deal which would pay him an average of $ 18 million per year.
With the tag in place though Brees will not be available in the Free Agency which starts on March 13th and the Saints will gain valuable time to resolve their differences on a new contract with the quarterback.
Brees this season put up some phenomenal statistics as he out passed every quarterback in the league. The 33-year-old passed for a record 5,476 yards easily beating Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino’s three decade old single season passing yards record.
He also passed for 46 touchdowns and had a pass completion rate of 71.2%.
The Saints went 13-3 in 2011-12 regular season and were one of the league’s best teams. They reached the playoff rounds as third seed and easily defeated Detroit Lions in the Wildcard round.
They were knocked out of the playoffs after a last second 36-32 defeat in the divisional rounds against San Francisco 49ers.
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