New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees all but guaranteed he would return to the team at the Pro Bowl despite his impending free agency.

Brees also took to Instagram to assert as much, saying “I look forward to the grind and the journey, for the reward at the end will be worth it.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8tzQ5NHB7R/

Both Brees and the Saints seem to welcome a reunion.

But New Orleans have yet to open contract negotiations with Brees, most likely due to teams around the league awaiting a resolution to the proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement (via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk):

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Teams are waiting for clarity on the Collective Bargaining Agreement before getting down to serious business in contract talks with potential free agents.

So for those reasons, it comes as no surprise that General Manager Mickey Loomis told Katherine Terrell of TheAthletic.com on Thursday that the Saints have not opened talks with Brees’ camp yet.

The goal, Loomis said, is to get the deal done before the start of free agency in 20 days.

It is worth noting Brees is unlikely to test free agency and would likely rather retire in a Saints uniform rather than testing the market.

Both of New Orleans' other quarterbacks–Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill–are going to be free agents, so there is also reason for the front office to wait for the CBA decision. If it is approved, players will earn over a 48 percent share in revenue. This would subsequently have an impact on cap space.

Brees might be willing to take a discount if necessary, so the Saints will do their due diligence before locking things up with their longtime signal-caller.