There’s no time of actual rest in the NFL. For the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets, just before mandatory minicamps begin, there’s also the worry of their quarterback situation, although no progress has been made with Drew Brees and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Technically, Fitzpatrick isn’t a Jets player right now, he’s a free agent. But it does look like he has no other place to go; all the teams looking to sign new QBs have made their choices, and the teams with enough money to meet his demands don’t need one, or don’t want him. So he either ends up in New York, or doesn’t play at all? That seems unlikely. Fitzpatrick might not be an elite quarterback, but he’s certainly good enough to be a starter for the Jets: He showed it last season, and also when you throw his name in with the other guys they have on the team.
Fitzpatrick has said a number of times that he wants to stay in New York, and that there are talks behind closed doors. However, a number of writers, including Brian Costello of the New York Post, have noted that there has been no contact between the sides for a number of weeks.
The situation is different in New Orleans. Brees is still signed, coming with a cap hit of $30 million next season, which is quite crippling to a team with so many needs. Brees doesn’t like talking contracts during the season, and doesn’t want to head into the season without an extension, but right now the Saints don’t’ seem too eager to lock him up for a few more years.
Brees is 37, with 15 NFL seasons on his CV. He’s still productive for the Saints, especially when they play at home, but at this point, they have to be thinking about moving on from the greatest quarterback in the history of the franchise, and the one who has his name written on their one big accomplishment, the Super Bowl against the Indianapolis Colts in the 2009 season. Loyalty is nice in the NFL, but even if it’s hard to think of anyone else behind center in New Orleans, that’s certainly a consideration at this point when thinking beyond 2016.