Let’s take a look at the Saturday morning headlines from around the NFC South. But let’s be clear up front this is mostly about New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and his new contract because that’s one of the biggest offseason stories of the year.
In his first interview after signing a five-year, $100 million contract, Brees threw out the possibility of the Saints playing in the Super Bowl in New Orleans in February.
Here’s a good sampling of what players and other public figures had to say about Brees’ contract via Twitter.
Under the terms of his suspension, New Orleans coach Sean Payton can’t talk to any players or anyone that works for the Saints. But he can talk about them. He weighed in with his thoughts on the Brees contract.
D. Orlando Ledbetter writes about what Brees’ deal could mean for Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan in the future. I think it’s nothing but good news because Brees raised the bar for all quarterbacks. Ryan’s under contract through 2013, but there have been rumblings the Falcons could look to extend him this year. At the moment, I don’t think Ryan would get anything close to Brees’ $20 million average per year. But Brees’ deal probably adds something to Ryan’s value. Plus, if an extension is done after the season, Ryan could really raise his value with a big season and a postseason victory or two. Brees' deal also could end up helping Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman and Carolina's Cam Newton earn more money down the road.
Brees’ deal makes him the highest-paid NFL player. But he’s not even close to being the highest-paid athlete in major sports. Baseball’s Albert Pujols has a $240 million contract and several NBA players are above $100 million.
Here’s some audio of me talking about Brees’ contract with ESPN Radio in El Paso, Texas.