Saints quarterback Drew Brees heads into the 2017 season without a contract for 2018, which means that there’s more than a passing chance that it is his final season in New Orleans.
Brees is also 38 and whether it is next year, 2019 or sometime else, the Saints are going to find themselves in need of a new starter. They made a nod in that direction in 2015 when they drafted Garrett Grayson in the third round and coach Sean Payton confirmed that the team will continue to consider possibilities at the position this offseason.
“I think that topic exists and has existed because of the nature of the position,” Payton said to Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the Sirius XM NFL Radio. “I think we’re in the quarterback business always because they’re so difficult to find. And there’s been a year or two we’re close to drafting maybe a player and he went a little before we were ready to pick. And certainly you pay attention to it when your quarterback’s older.”
Three straight 7-9 seasons have led some to wonder about how long the team will plow forward with Payton and Brees and a fourth year out of the running won’t do anything to keep people from jumping on that train. That might lead to someone else making a decision on who’s next at quarterback, but it doesn’t do much to lessen the organization’s need to consider their options.