The Saints kicked off their minicamp on Tuesday and, as you’d imagine, Drew Brees was nowhere to be found.
There’s no sign of when Brees and the Saints might reach an end to their contract standoff. It could end next week or it could stretch into training camp and it seems the Saints want to make sure they are covered in the latter eventuality. Larry Holder of CBSSports.com reports that the team will be trying out quarterback Luke McCown at their minicamp.
McCown started the first two games of the 2011 season for the Jaguars, completing 23-of-43 passes for 234 yards. He was benched after throwing four interceptions in a Week Two loss to the Jets and wound up playing in two other games over the course of the season. McCown was a fourth-round pick by the Browns in 2004 and has also played for the Buccaneers.
If the Saints sign McCown, it doesn’t send any signal about their plans regarding Brees. They aren’t going to feel comfortable going into the season with a depth chart of Chase Daniel/Sean Canfield/McCown. It does send a message that there might not be a rapid resolution to Brees’ contract, though, as well as give the Saints enough arms to start camp if Brees still hasn’t joined the team.