As we move toward the NFL Draft (and free agency, in theory), it is important to understand where the Saints stand at each major position group. Every couple of days leading up to the draft, we will have an analysis of a certain position group, starting with the quarterbacks.
Needless to say, the Saints aren’t exactly planning for a wide-open QB competition. Everyone knows this is Drew Brees’ team, and that includes all relevant coaches and back-ups. Like all good coaching staffs, though, Sean Payton and Co. will be doing their due diligence on all of their position groups, and that includes the QBs.
The first issue here is that as soon as this labor situation ends, a contract extension for Drew Brees becomes priority #1 in the QB department. Widely considered an elite, top 3 QB in the NFL, Brees ranks 14th on the list of QB base salary according to
Sportsfeens, scheduled to make $7.3 million in 2011 (for some perspective, Detroit’s Matthew Stafford, who has yet to play a complete NFL season, ranks 7th and is scheduled to make $12 million in 2011). Luckily, the situation is not yet dire, as Brees is still under contract for 2011, and it is fairly obvious that both Brees and the Saints want this deal to get done.
As far as the other QBs on the Saints roster go, it appears that the coaching staff is happy with Chase Daniel as the back-up to Brees, and there is no indication that the Saints are looking to add to this group.
For the sake of the argument, and to really put this discussion under a microscope, it is worth noting that Drew Brees is 32 years old and coming off of a knee injury that, despite the Saints best efforts to hide it, affected him in 2010. Even with his better-than-expected play in the 2010 preseason, I don’t get the sense that anyone is really sold on Chase Daniel as Brees’ eventual replacement. Conventional football thinking at the QB position says that utmost foresight is required when drafting a franchise QB, and letting a young QB sit behind an established veteran for up to three years is the best course of action (just ask the Green Bay Packers how they feel about their 2005 first round selection of Aaron Rodgers).
Realistically though, it would appear as though Brees has more than three years left in his tank, and that there are other areas that the Saints should focus on in the upcoming draft. The Saints look to be set at the QB position for the next five to seven years, though they shouldn’t rule out the idea of drafting Brees’ successor within the next three to four.
