Brees will stay with the Saints
While the unimaginable has happened to New England Patriots fans, the predictable has occurred for New Orleans Saints fans: Drew Brees is staying put.
Tom Brady is leaving the Patriots, but Brees made things, well, easy for the Saints, making it clear he wasn’t leaving New Orleans or Sean Payton’s offense despite having his contract run out.
Brees, 41, agreed to a twoyear, $50-million contract, a person familiar with the situation said. The person spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity on Tuesday because the deal has not been announced.
The 19-year veteran with one Super Bowl title in New Orleans basically gave a hometown discount to the Saints. His deal will not put him in the top 10 quarterbacks for annual salary. But the career leader in completions with 6,867, yards passing with 77,416, and touchdowns with 547 believes New Orleans offers the best place for him to win another championship.
Brees missed five games with a throwing hand injury that required surgery last season but still helped New Orleans to a third straight playoff appearance.
Newton out, Bridgewater in
The Carolina Panthers took another step toward a rebuilding process when they announced they’d allow former MVP quarterback Cam Newton to seek a trade.
Newton has missed 16 games the last two seasons with shoulder and foot injuries, and the Panthers made a coach change this offseason, firing Ron Rivera and hiring Baylor’s Matt Rhule.
To replace Newton, the Panthers are set to sign Teddy Bridgewater, according to multiple reports. Bridgewater, a former starter with Minnesota, served as a spot starter and backup to Brees for the last two seasons.
Elsewhere
▪ Jason Witten is headed to Las Vegas, where Jon Gruden is the coach. Coincidentally, Witten replaced Gruden as the analyst on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” in 2018, then went back to play again with the Cowboys.
Witten turns 38 in May. He had 63 catches for 529 yards and four touchdowns last season, and has 1,215 catches for 12,977 yards and 72 touchdowns in 16 seasons with Dallas.
▪ Linebacker Thomas Davis said he’s reuniting with former coach Rivera and signing with the Washington Redskins. Davis, 36, played under Rivera with Carolina for eight seasons and had the best years of his career.
▪ Philadelphia won’t be keeping star safety Malcolm Jenkins, who led the Eagles’ defense when it won the 2017 league title.
▪ The Chicago Bears released outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, chosen ninth in the 2016 draft. Floyd contributed against the run and in pass coverage but did not develop as a pass rusher. He had 181⁄2 sacks in four seasons, including a career-low three last year.
Chicago agreed to a fiveyear, $70-million deal with defensive end Robert Quinn, who gets $30 million guaranteed, adding a solid pass rusher to Khalil Mack. Quinn had 111⁄2 sacks last year following a trade to Dallas from Miami. He served a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancers.
▪ The Tennessee Titans added edge rusher Vic Beasley Jr. on a one-year deal. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2015 draft led the NFL with 151⁄2 sacks in 2016 for the Falcons. Atlanta declined to re-sign Beasley after he got only 18 sacks combined over the last three seasons.
▪ Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips agreed to sign with the Arizona Cardinals. The 6-foot-6, 341-pound Phillips just finished a breakout season for the Bills with a career-high 91⁄2 sacks. Phillips was claimed off waivers by Buffalo after he was released by the Dolphins shortly after getting into a sideline argument with an assistant coach.
▪ The Jacksonville Jaguars agreed to terms with free-agent linebacker Joe Schobert, who spent the last four years in Cleveland, where he led the team in tackles twice and made a Pro Bowl. The deal is for $53.75 million over five years, and includes $22.5 million guaranteed.
▪ Miami and defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah agreed to a $15-million, twoyear contract. Ogbah had 51⁄2 sacks last year for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. He also spent three years with the Cleveland Browns and has 18 sacks in four seasons.
▪ The New York Giants reached agreements with middle linebacker Blake Martinez and cornerback James Bradberry. The Giants also agreed on a deal with veteran blocking tight end tight end Levine Toilolo. New York had one of the NFL’s worst defenses last season.
▪ Buffalo grabbed Carolina defensive end Mario Addison and New Orleans linebacker A.J. Klein. The 32-year-old Addison has had nine or more sacks in each of his last four seasons. The 28-year-old Klein is projected to take over for Lorenzo Alexander, who retired.
▪ Tampa Bay will re-sign linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul to a two-year, $27-million contract. Pierre-Paul has 21 sacks since being acquired from the Giants two years ago. He had 81⁄2 in 10 games last season after recovering from a neck injury suffered in an offseason automobile accident.