Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

March 16, 2006 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

With the Miami Dolphins no longer interested after acquiring quarterback Daunte Culpepper, former San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees signed a six-year, 60 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. The deal included a signing bonus believed to be between $8 and $10 million.

The contract includes a $12 million option bonus due next spring and a base salary of $3 million for 2007. This type of structured bonus points to the fact that if Brees' surgically repaired throwing shoulder isn't up to snuff or he tanks it as the leader of the Saints, the team can simply part ways with him and not have much invested long-term.

Brees was easily the most coveted of the free-agent quarterbacks this offseason and joins the Saints after two years of highly productive play with the Chargers. However, the Chargers would not give him the type of money or guarantees that he wanted and with former first-round draft pick waiting to take over in quarterback Philip Rivers, Brees decided to jump ship to head east.

Brees brings with him two years of top-level play, including a Pro Bowl appearance in 2005. Last season he had a quarterback rating of 89.2 while tossing for 3,576 yards and 24 touchdowns. This was all without a marquee player at the wide receiver position (wide receiver Keenan McCardell is no longer the threat he used to be). Brees is your stereotypical pocket passer; he is adept at reading defenses and is great at the close-to-mid-range throws. He has passed for 12,348 passing yards, 80 touchdowns and 53 interceptions in 59 games over the course of five years.

He should continue to put up good numbers, as he is surrounded by playmakers in the New Orleans offense; running back Deuce McAllister (knee), wide receivers Joe Horn and Donte Stallworth to name a few. He has also proven in San Diego that he can run the play-action effectively, as he did with San Diego Chargers All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson. This should result in the offense opening up even more for the aforementioned wide receivers.

One should note that Brees is coming off a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder that he sustained in the last game of the season, so there may be some question as to whether he will have any lingering effects from this. Although, with the money that the Saints gave to him, it is hard to imagine they wouldn't have given him the contract if they weren't 100 percent sold on his return to full health.

Now What?

The Aaron Brooks era is over in New Orleans at the quarterback position. At times Brooks showed flashes of greatness, but he was plagued by inconsistency, and his turnover problems sealed his fate in the Big Easy. He should battle for a starting role for which ever team the freshly released free agent opts for. Either way, his time as starter in New Orleans should be over.

Wide receiver Joe Horn should return to his 2004 season form and could be playing in Hawaii come next January if he doesn't find himself injured again this season. He should benefit the most of the wide receivers, as he is at his best when going over the middle for the short to intermediate throws. He has great hands and will be an important target for Brees as a safety net.

Wide receiver Donte Stallworth could see his numbers increase as a result of the better play from Horn; however, in San Diego, Brees was not that great with his deep balls - something that is crucial for someone with Stallworth's speed. However, Stallworth is good at adjusting to balls while in the air and he possesses great leaping abilities so this could end up being a beneficial partnership for both of them. This could finally be the year that Stallworth lives up to the hype.

As well, look for running back Deuce McAllister to return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament should benefit from having Brees as his quarterback. This could open up a lot more holes for him, and as long as McAllister's knee is up to snuff, he should return to being the home run threat that he was a year ago. He is not, however, the threat that Tomlinson was as a receiver (of course who else is at this position), so don't expect his receiving yards to shoot up.

This should also dramatically affect the Saints draft plans. Instead of penciling them in for University of Southern Carolina quarterback Matt Leinart, they now have numerous directions they can go. They could trade down in the draft, potentially filling in more holes on defense. The New York Jets are a possible target as they could be looking for a franchise quarterback; they have the No. 4 overall pick and would love to get their hands on Leinart. This would then leave the Saints to draft Maryland tight end Vernon Davis and give Brees something he had in San Diego, an impact player similar to tight end Antonio Gates.

Or the Saints could draft University of Virginia offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, ensuring their franchise quarterback has his blindside protected for years to come. They already have offensive tackle Wayne Gandy at this position, but he is 35 years old and Ferguson would be a great replacement.

Either way, the Saints are probably in the best position in the draft now, thanks to a savvy signing by a team that really needed some good offseason news this year.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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