2012 NFL Free Agents: Why New Orleans Saints Must Lock Up Drew Brees Long Term

To the dismay of New Orleans Saints fans, their team still remains far apart in a long-term deal with franchise quarterback Drew Brees.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning that the Saints will likely use their franchise tag on Brees if an agreement isn't made by the Monday, the March 5th deadline. 

This is bad, bad news for the Saints. 

Acquired before the 2006 season, Brees turned one of the NFL's most lethargic organizations into a perennial Super Bowl contender. The Saints had only seven winning seasons in 39 years before Brees, who has brought a Super Bowl and three divisional crowns in just six seasons.

Placing a franchise tag on Brees would also be a monumental mistake. Both parties have been confident for what has seemingly been years that a long-term deal will get worked out before free agency begins. Putting a franchise tag on him opens the question of whether or not they'd get a deal done next offseason.

Brees has been only a small part of the offseason talk in New Orleans. The front office is scrambling to keep Marques Colston, Brees' favorite target and one of the most solid pass-catchers in the league.

Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks is also an impending free agent and the Saints are making efforts to re-sign him. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2011 along with Saints guard Jahri Evans, the first time a pair of guards from the same team have accomplished the feat since 1953.

The Saints would love to use their franchise tag on one of these two stars to keep them in house and give them the pay they deserve.

If they end up using the tag on Brees, they forfeit that ability as well as put the thought in the free agents' minds that Brees may not be around much longer. Both would most likely test out the market if that were to happen.

Could it possibly be a bit of bartering done by the Saints with the news today? They want Brees to know that the franchise tag is available for him of course, but he has to be thinking what the repercussions would be if he were to take it. With a lot of teams in the market for a big-threat wide receiver, he might have to kiss Colston goodbye upon taking the team's tag. 

His career has been historic in New Orleans. His career completion percentage is the highest in NFL history (65.94) and he also holds the single-season NFL record with a 71.2 completion percentage last season.

He has been performing as well as the league's top quarterbacks, and even better in many facets. He's only made $10 million per year in New Orleans, which is small compared to the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady who make nearly twice as much.

He's arguably the only quarterback ever to lose his starting job on one team (San Diego) and become one of the best in NFL history with a new team, which was no easy task considering the state of New Orleans when he arrived.  

Oh yeah and last year he broke the record for passing yards in a season held by none other than Dan Marino.

In just six seasons, Brees has captured nearly every career franchise record including passing attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns. He also has seven single-season records and five single-game records for New Orleans.  

Despite his historic success with the Saints, his biggest influence to New Orleans is in the community.

Coming off an elbow injury in the 2005 Pro Bowl, Brees decided to come to New Orleans despite the city recently being torn to shreds by Hurricane Katrina.

The damages were apparent and can still be seen in some parts of the city. Brees and his wife Brittany have formed the Brees Dream Foundation, which has raised about $2 million for rebuilding efforts. Brees himself donated $450,000 to help rebuild classrooms and a football field at Lusher Charter School.  

Even their stadium, then named The Superdome, was ravaged by both storms and those who stayed there during the hurricane.

Hurricane Katrina transformed the Saints into a movement. It was the chance for New Orleans to prove they could do anything, whether it was rebuilding the city from one of the worst natural disasters in US history or turning one of the worst pro football franchises into a Super Bowl contender.

With the help of Brees, they did both.

The Saints have shaped to Brees' style of play, thanks in large part to his charismatic chemistry with head coach Sean Payton. It would be hard for anyone associated with football to think of one without the other. 

Drew Brees will always have a place in New Orleans natives' hearts, whether he finishes his career there or not. Though, if they want to remain the lone relevant sports organization in the city, they'll give Brees the money he deserves.