Drew Brees Rumors: Latest On Contract Discussions With Saints

Drew Brees' contract negotiations could be the least frustrating any marquee quarterback has to go through this offseason.

Brees has already stated his intention to remain with the New Orleans Saints, and he may not demand more money, as other players at his position are doing.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport provided some insight into the situation involving Brees and the Saints on Thursday:

"When Drew Brees announced he was coming back this coming year, he did so by adding 'Who Dat' on his Instagram and saying he's only going to sign with the Saints. He took away all leverage from himself. He is very clear that when he plays next year it's going to be for the Saints. 

"No contract is done and none are going to be done until whether we know the CBA is passed. From my understanding, for this contract, Brees is not expected to demand top dollar. I would expect, again nothing is done, but I would expect the contract more in line with what he made last year, which was a two-year deal and an average of $25 million. That's probably where the deal is going to come in, which actually is probably going to allow the Saints to sign one more free agent, maybe, than they would be able to do."

Brees had a salary cap hit of $24 million in 2018 and $22.7 million in 2019, according to Spotrac. If he does not demand a significant raise, Brees would not be in the upper tier of the highest-paid quarterbacks, but it could allow the Saints to become an even better team.

The 2019 campaign showed that the Saints do not have a ton of offensive flaws, with Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas leading the depth chart at running back and wide receiver, respectively. But it would not hurt the Saints to pick up another reliable wide out to partner Thomas. Ted Ginn Jr. was the second-best receiver for them in 2019, but he had the fourth-most receiving yards.

In fact, Thomas and Ginn were the only two wide receivers to have more than 400 receiving yards last season.

If Brees wants to ease up the reliance on Kamara in the passing game, he needs one or two more targets to call upon. Those additions could be made at a cheaper cost in the NFL draft, especially with the wide receiver class being one of the best in recent memory.

The Saints could also go out into the free-agent market for reinforcements, and that would be made possible by Brees not asking for a significant pay increase.

If the veteran signal-caller does not take a large raise, the players brought in with the money left on the table could help him to make one final push toward a championship.

New Orleans won the Super Bowl in 2010, but since then, it has reached the NFC Championship Game once. If the new players brought into the franchise excel, it could give Brees and the Saints an advantage against their competition, such as the San Francisco 49ers, to make it back to the Super Bowl.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.