New Orleans Saints: 5 Reasons New Orleans Saints Must Sign Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints are facing the most controversial offseason in the team’s history. It appears that after a disappointing loss in the playoffs to the San Francisco 49ers, the downfall had only just begun.

On March 2, 2012, the NFL announced that it had evidence that "between 22 and 27 Saints players," as well as Gregg Williams, pooled their own money to pay out performance bonuses. It was also found that head coach Sean Payton tried to cover up the scheme and that he and general manager Mickey Loomis failed to shut it down when ordered to do so by team owner Tom Benson.

The allegations were not a fair warning on what was yet to come to the Saints. In a blindside to both the Saints and the rest of the league, head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012-2013 season, along with multiple-game suspensions to Mickey Loomis, assistant coach Joe Vitt and defensive captains Jonathan Vilma and Will Smith.

In addition to the bounty scandal, the Saints are facing possibly the most prolonged problem this offseason in Drew Brees’ contract situation.

Last year’s passing yards record-breaker and runner-up NFL MVP Drew Brees has not been signed to a long-term contract. Discussions are not moving any closer to a deal, as the two sides are $5 million apart.

The Saints are two months away from the beginning of training camp and must step up and curb their pride in contract talks with Brees.

Here are the five reasons why the New Orleans Saints must sign Drew Brees.

Breesus Can Be the Savior

On Monday, August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina had made landfall in the city of New Orleans. A Category 5 storm had hit the city and the Gulf Coast like no other hurricane in history. New Orleans was almost completely underwater and the chaos continued as government officials failed to stabilize New Orleans.

Hurricane Katrina was the most devastating natural disaster in the history of New Orleans. The pain had just begun for the city as they looked to rebuild an entire community all over again. 

At a time when the people turned to President Bush and other government officials for hope, a team and a player were the ones who restored hope to a fallen city.

On Tuesday, March 14, 2006, the New Orleans Saints signed quarterback Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints were not the typical attraction for free agents, with a franchise record of 237-364. It was a team and a city coming off a natural disaster that would cause most players to run away, but not Brees.

“I needed New Orleans so badly back in 2006, just somebody to believe in me, somebody to care about me,” Drew Brees said.

A special bond grew with Brees and the city of New Orleans in 2006. The city needed someone to bring hope and restore a fallen city, while Brees needed someone to believe in and care about him.

That special bond created a perfect story when, in 2010, Brees led the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl win in franchise history. That win meant more than just a championship, it brought hope and revival to the entire city of New Orleans.

The New Orleans Saints are now facing a disastrous offseason as a team.

The NFL discovered that the Saints were running a pay-for-performance program in which they pooled money for big hits and injuries to opposing players.

These allegations led to the season-long suspensions of head coach Sean Payton and defensive captain Jonathan Vilma. Suspensions were also given to general manager Mickey Loomis, assistant head coach Joe Vitt and defensive captain Will Smith.

The New Orleans Saints have been hit as hard as possible by the league. They are entering the offseason without their leader, Sean Payton, and they appear hopeless.

Drew Brees helped restore a city in 2006; he is now the leader who can help the Saints get through this season’s turmoil. The Saints must do everything to sign Brees as soon as possible if they want any shot at winning this year’s Super Bowl.

His Time Is Now

“[Brees] deserves the world,” Lance Moore said, via NFL.com.

Drew Brees recently had one of the most spectacular seasons by any quarterback in NFL history. He finished the season with a total of 5,476 passing yards, breaking Dan Marino’s record. He also threw 47 touchdowns, which is only three shy of Tom Brady’s single-season record.

It was Brees' best season statistically at age 33. It is incredible to believe, but Drew Brees’ best years are going to continue to come.  

As we saw in the case of Brett Favre, who arguably played his best football at age 40, quarterbacks can have a long career in the NFL if they remain healthy.

Health has never been an issue in Brees’ career, aside from his freak injury while playing for San Diego in 2005. That injury has not caused any lingering problems, and Brees has come back to be even better since.

Brees has only missed one game in six seasons for the Saints, which is a testament of his mobility in the pocket and spectacular line play. The combination of those things made Brees the second-least sacked quarterback in the NFL last season, which helps protect him from suffering injuries, thus extending his career.

Drew Brees brought a Super Bowl championship to a team with a record of failure and made it one of the best franchises in the NFL. He has established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

The New Orleans Saints should have no fears in giving Brees a long-term deal because he has been a model of consistency in the organization.

Best Quarterback in the League...Statistically

"Drew Brees is the best quarterback in the NFL," is a statement that is rarely ever said around the league. The issue is that it is true—at least statistically.

Since signing with the New Orleans Saints, he is the No. 1 quarterback in the league in passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. The only category in which Brees falls short is interceptions, which at times tends to be his slip up, but he still holds the crown in most major categories.

In comparison to his peers, Brees still stands exceedingly ahead in many stats among the best players such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers.

He has thrown 7,000 more passing yards since 2006 than both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, two quarterbacks typically named the best in the NFL.  

Aaron Rodgers is coming off a spectacular season that earned him the MVP award. Many people are now putting Rodgers ahead of Brees in the list of elite quarterbacks, but Brees has a strong case to put up a fight. Since Rodgers became a starter in 2008, Brees has 2,000 more passing yards and a higher completion percentage.

Drew Brees finished the 2012 season with one of the most spectacular seasons of any quarterback in the history of the NFL. He broke Dan Marino’s passing yards record, finished three touchdowns shy of tying Brady’s touchdown record and he also owns the completion percentage record.

Statistically, Drew Brees has been the best quarterback in the league since he became a Saint and now deserves to be paid as such.

Brees Makes Everyone Better

Little is needed to prove how Drew Brees has turned the Saints offense from nothing to the best in the league. The single name "Aaron Brooks" proves how poor the Saints offense truly was.

Drew Brees has turned the New Orleans Saints into the No. 1 offense in the league since his takeover in 2006. The most impressive thing is how Brees has done it.

The Saints weren’t a fully-loaded offense missing just a quarterback when Brees took over. Instead, the Saints offense was more of a rebuilding project with a few bright spots in the roster.

Drew Brees' best quality may be his ability to polish a player. Marques Colston was the Saints' seventh-round draft pick and the 252nd overall pick—a round and a pick in which players typically end up not making the team or becoming special teams players who bounce around the league and eventually wash out.

Brees has molded Colston into one of the best and most underrated receivers in the league.

Lance Moore was an undrafted free agent coming out of college. He was first signed by the Cleveland Browns and was later released and signed with the Saints. He spent his first two years in New Orleans in the practice squad until he had his shot in 2008 when he finished the season with a career-high 928 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Since then, Moore has been one of Brees’ favorite targets and his safety blanket on third downs.

Jimmy Graham. The name alone should be enough of praise to what Brees can do, especially since Graham was drafted in the third round as a developmental player.

He turned a college basketball player who played football for only one year at the University of Miami into arguably the best tight end in the league. He has polished Graham’s freakish physical abilities into an unstoppable threat in the end zone and a tight end that seems to haul in everything that is not 10 yards away from him.

Drew Brees has turned these players who were projected to be average or role players into one of the best receiving corps and the best passing attack in the league.

He Is a True Saint

It is sad to see that the Saints have not signed Drew Brees and are playing hard ball with him. He is an exceptional quarterback for the Saints and a model citizen for the city of New Orleans.

The Saints must do everything to pay the true Saint, Drew Brees.

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