Why It's Time for the Saints to Start Considering Life After Drew Brees

The New Orleans Saints suffered an embarrassing 41-10 loss to the division rival Carolina Panthers on Sunday. 

The loss dropped New Orleans to 5-8 on the season, 3-4 at home. More important, however, is the fact that the loss really has to change the way the decision-makers for the Saints look at this team.

Though the Saints are still very much alive in the woeful NFC South, it is very difficult to envision this team making any sort of meaningful postseason run.

The coaching staff obviously owes it to the players and the fans to focus entirely on the immediate challenge of winning a division title. For practical purposes, however, it is time for the higher-ups to begin planning for next season and beyond.

One of the most important decisions the Saints will have to make involves the future of starting quarterback Drew Brees. 

Brees has played at a high level for the majority of the season (101.7 passer rating heading into Sunday's game), but he has forced some throws and has made a few less-than-characteristic mistakes (12 interceptions, four fumbles this season).

Of course, he is still an elite signal-caller. Before Sunday, he was ranked second overall among quarterbacks by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). A few mistakes are not reason enough for the Saints to turn the page on Brees.

The fact that the Saints even need to consider looking past Brees at quarterback exists for three fairly simple reasons.

The first reason is a matter of age, as Brees will turn 36 years old next month. The window to win with Brees is shrinking for the Saints even though four or five more great years are a strong possibility.

The second, and perhaps biggest reason, is Brees' contract. The Purdue product has two years remaining on his current deal, per Spotrac. His base salaries for the next two years are $18.75 million and $19.75 million. According to Andrew Brandt of ESPN.com, there are triggers in each of those years that will make the majority of those salaries guaranteed. 

If the Saints do decide to part ways with Brees following this season or next, there is the potential to save a sizable amount of cash. Renegotiation also remains a possibility.

The last reason is the state of the Saints franchise itself. Though New Orleans is still alive in the playoff hunt, this is a 5-8 club. The offense has looked very good at times, but Rob Ryan's defense (ranked 31st, allowing 398.7 yards per game) has not. 

The reality is that the Saints may not be able to simply fix a few holes in the offseason and get back to being a real contender. Some sort of rebuilding effort is likely upcoming, even if drastic changes don't have to be made on Brees' side of the football.

If the Saints believe that a rebuilding effort will take two or three years, then it makes sense to consider trying to move Brees via trade or renegotiating his contract. Paying a guy $37.5 million for two years is simply too much if the team isn't going to compete in that span.

Even if New Orleans decides to pay the $18.75 million next season and put off its decision for another year, it is time to start thinking about what life is going to look like once Brees is no longer the guy.

	Base Salary	Signing Bonus	Workout Bonus	Cap Hit
2015	$18,750,000	$7,400,000	$750,000	$26,400,000
2016	$19,750,000	$7,400,000	$750,000	$27,400,000

There are a number of intriguing quarterback prospects who are expected to enter the 2015 draft. Guys like Marcus Mariota of Oregon, Brett Hundley of UCLA, Baylor's Bryce Petty and Florida State's Jameis Winston will likely enter the first-round conversation as the draft approaches. If the Saints fail to reach the playoffs or make an early exit, they should have a chance to grab one of them.

This definitely doesn't mean that New Orleans has to drop Brees and start a rookie quarterback immediately. However, the franchise would be in a favorable position if it could grab an elite prospect and groom him under Brees for a season (or longer if a new deal can be negotiated).

The Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts are a couple of teams that have managed to move on from Hall of Fame-caliber quarterbacks successfully. However, they are the exceptions and certainly not the rule.

If the Saints want to remain relevant in the post-Brees era, then it cannot be too soon to start planning for the next chapter in New Orleans.