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The New Orleans Saints suffered a painful defeat in the divisional round against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night. That has now pushed Pro Bowl quarterback and Drew Brees' future with the organization to the forefront of the discussion.
However, the 39-year-old didn't waste any time in indicating that he wants to continue his NFL career with the Saints, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.
Saints Drew Brees, an unsigned free agent, confirmed the obvious by saying "I do" when asked if he plans to be part of Saints' future. Talked a lot about "we" and "us" going forward in postgame press conference.
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) January 15, 2018
Brees is now a free agent, although his current deal doesn't allow for the Saints to place the franchise tag on him for next season. That will require an entirely new contract negotiation process between both sides.
But with the 39-year-old stating that he wants to remain in New Orleans, it at least makes the conversation surrounding a new deal a bit easier to get through given the mutual interest. Brees has spent the last 12 seasons with the team, having led them to six playoff appearances and their first Super Bowl win.
Brees is still playing at a high level as he finished fourth in the league with 4,334 passing yards, first with a 72.0 completion rate, and second with a 103.9 passer rating this season. It also marked his 12th straight season with more than 4,000 passing yards, and sixth posting a passer rating above 100.
Brees did experience a significant drop in his touchdown passes down to just 23 this season, but that was largely impacted by their vastly improved ground game led by running backs Mark Ingram and stellar rookie Alvin Kamara.
The return of Brees would keep the Saints in the picture as a legitimate Super Bowl contender next season. This situation should receive more clarity in the coming weeks with his future in New Orleans being the Saints' top priority heading into the offseason.
