One of the more interesting situations to monitor over the offseason is how the New Orleans Saints approach the Drew Brees final year of his deal, with the St. Louis Rams (and probably other teams in need of a quarterback) watching closely, hoping a rare opportunity opens up.
It’s rare that a Hall of Fame caliber quarterback becomes available while he’s still playing very good football, but with Brees entering the final year of his deal which will mean a $30 million cap hit, the Saints are expected to ask him to take a paycut (maybe some extension while reworking the deal?), and the Rams, like others, are hoping this means he becomes available after not agreeing to take less money.
Obviously, taking on a $30 million responsibility isn’t something most teams in the NFL can do. But the Rams have the cap space, and are hoping that there’s truth in the talk about Brees, if he does leave New Orleans (something he is denying categorically at the moment), looking to play either in a dome or a warm climate, with a team that gives him the tools to contend. The Rams, in St. Louis but hopefully in Los Angeles, have one of the best defenses in the league and an excellent running back in Todd Gurley. They feel all they’re missing is a quarterback.
Nick Foles turned out to be a disaster. He completed just 56.4% of his passes, throwing 7 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in 11 starts. After a lukewarm start came the awful finish, throwing five interceptions and 0 touchdowns in his last four games, all losses for the Rams, sliding out of playoff contention. Case Keenum did a much better job with the Rams going 3-1 in his four starts, throwing three touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the last two games.
Brees has been in the NFL since 2001. In 14 games in 2015 he remains one of the more accurate quarterbacks out there with 67.7% completion percentage, throwing 31 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, and is on pace to finish with an above 100 passer rating for the fifth time in his career. He’s fourth on the all-time passing yards list, fourth in all-time passing touchdowns and his 95.8 career passer rating is the 7th best in NFL history.