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Drew Brees: Could the New Orleans Saints Trade Him?

By Evan Massey

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Could the New Orleans Saints look to trade star quarterback Drew Brees now that they have traded both Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills?

The New Orleans Saints are coming off of a disappointing 7-9 season last year that saw them end up missing the playoffs. They were expected to make some moves this offseason, but they have shocked quite a few fans and analysts by trading both Jimmy Graham and Kenny Stills. Those moves were both very shocking, and it could very well cause issues for star quarterback Drew Brees.

Brees is already coming off of a rough season last year, and losing two of his best weapons isn’t something that he is going to be too happy about. He put up a tweet soon after the Graham trade, and seemed to voice his displeasure with the decision to move him.

Needless to say, an unhappy quarterback is not something that the Saints want on their hands. They cannot afford to have their star and franchise leader upset with the way that the front office is running things. If he is indeed upset by the moves that they have made this offseason as it appears he may be, could the Saints look at trading Brees next?

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At 36 years of age, it would be very intriguing to see what type of trade interest that he would have around the league. There are quite a few teams with a major need at the quarterback position, including teams like the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills, and the New York Jets. All three of those teams could come into play if the Saints put Brees on the block.

It appears that the Saints are trying to rebuild completely with the moves that they have made. They are trying to create some cap room to work with, but trading away their best offensive weapon isn’t the best way to do that.

New Orleans currently has Brees locked in for two more seasons on his current deal. He has a cap hit of $26.4 million in 2015 and $27.4 million in 2016. Those numbers will make it even more difficult for the Saints to trade him, but there is no doubt that they could work out a deal with some quarterback needy team that is looking to compete.

During the 2014 season with the Saints, Brees ended up throwing for 4,952 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. He didn’t seem to have the decision-making skills that has made him so dangerous throughout his career. Whether that was the fact that he was under pressure quite often or simply due to his lack of focus, it was a major concern last year.

That being said, the Saints very well could still compete for a Super Bowl with Brees as their starting quarterback.

Perhaps the most concerning part of the entire situation is that Brees seemed shocked by the trade of Graham. That is the type of move a franchise would normally run past their franchise quarterback, but he didn’t sound like he was made aware of the entire situation. It could be the type of problem that grows into something much bigger than it really should, simply because of the lack of communication.

“I’m as shocked as everyone else. I love the guy,” – Drew Brees

Obviously the last thing that either the Saints or Brees want is to have trust issues between the two parties. They have been very close to each other for quite some time, but all that a relationship takes to be damaged is one mistake.

What the Saints really have to decide in this entire situation, is whether or not they truly believe that Brees is the quarterback that they want to start this new era of football with. His age comes into question a bit if the Saints are doing the rebuild that they appear to be doing. Granted, Max Unger is a great football player and will be a major upgrade on the offensive line, but the Saints’ offense is going to have quite a few issues.

Unless New Orleans decides to make another move or two, they are going to have a very difficult time competing with a very talented NFC. Trading Brees now while he still has value could be exactly what the Saints need to boost their rebuilding process.

It is a very delicate situation to say the very least due to how much Brees has meant to the Saints’ franchise during his tenure in New Orleans. He has won the city a Super Bowl, and been one of the NFL’s most dominant quarterbacks throughout every season that he has played with them. Last year was a bit of a down season, but he was still one of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL.

Despite all of the success that the Saints have had in the past with Brees, they need to gauge what type of interest there is around the league in him. If they can get a good return, they should strongly consider pulling the trigger on a trade. On the other hand, they shouldn’t make a deal just for the sake of making a trade.

Expect to hear plenty more about the Saints’ situation throughout the course of the offseason, and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that they are listening to offers for Brees. They need to be very careful with this situation, but they need to explore all of their options.

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