The deal is done, with three squares on the calendar to spare.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees made it clear that he won’t negotiate a potential extension to his current contract after the season begins. That move, rooted in a strong desire to minimize distractions, nudged the two sides together to finalize a contract that keeps Brees in New Orleans for the next two years.
Per a league source with knowledge of the deal, it’s a five-year contract that automatically voids to two years, and it pays out $44.25 million fully-guaranteed over those two seasons. Coupled with the $20 million he was due to make this year, it’s a one-year extension worth $24.25 million.
The contract also has a no-trade clause and a term preventing the Saints from tagging him in 2018. This means that, after the 2017 season, Brees will be free to leave if he wants to, and if he’s still playing at a sufficiently high level to allow him to.
To date, there has been no indication that Brees has in any way diminished. And so his well-deserved $184.25 million haul since 2006 could push to $200 million and more in fewer than 18 months.