NFL Offseason: Good Chance New Orleans Saints' Drew Brees Stays Away from OTAs

As if the New Orleans Saints needed more drama surrounding their ballclub. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports this morning that franchise signal-caller Drew Brees and the team have had no recent talks regarding a long-term contract. The Saints placed the exclusive franchise tag on Brees after the veteran reportedly turned down an offer from the team that would have made him the highest-paid player in the league. 

Brees has been non-commital about attending offseason workouts without a contract, but you can be fairly certain that he will be a no-show on Monday when the team begins its offseason program. With newly named interim head coach Joe Vitt attempting to focus the team amid what will no doubt be intense media scrutiny due to Bountygate, the absence of Brees will be yet another big, unwanted distraction. 

It's impossible to speak on what exactly the differences are between the two sides, but it would seem fairly clear that Brees has much if not all the leverage in this situation. The Saints have gone from the feel-good story that everyone in the nation could get behind to the league's ultimate villain in the span of a few short years. In that time, Brees has become not only the face of the franchise but easily one of the top five signal-callers in the NFL. 

Brees staying away from offseason workouts would be a stark contrast to the picture we saw last offseason, when Brees spearheaded Saints players' offseason workouts during the NFL lockout. Then, he was viewed as a leader. It will be interesting to see what the perception of Brees morphs into if he stays away until, or even through, training camp.