Brees agrees on extension with Saints
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has agreed to a contract extension with the Saints, and a person familiar with the deal says it will keep Brees in New Orleans through at least 2017 and guarantee him $44.3 million.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because details of the extension had not been announced.
The contract runs for five years, starting this season, and includes a $30 million bonus that, for now, can be prorated over that period to substantially reduce the $30 million Brees’ old contract would have counted against the Saints’ salary cap this season. However, the final three seasons are voidable, meaning the Saints and Brees, who turns 38 in January, will have to revisit the possibility of another extension next year.
The deal also has a notrade clause.
Brees said Wednesday that the salary cap implications were the most important thing to him because it puts the Saints in position to keep and acquire talent.
Though the deal is only guaranteed for two years, Brees said he plans to play longer and acknowledged that he wanted a contract reflecting that, but added this deal “was in the best interest of the team.”
Brees owns Saints franchise records in virtually every passing category, having thrown for 48,555 yards and 348 touchdowns in 10 seasons with the club. He also was named Super Bowl MVP when the Saints’ 2009 squad won New Orleans’ only NFL championship.
Brees was about to enter the final season of a fiveyear, $100 million contract he signed in 2012, one season after setting a then NFL-record with 5,476 yards passing.
DevelopMeNtS
Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer wants to keep the Tennessee Titans guessing about who will start for the Vikings at quarterback when the two teams meet in the season opener Sunday.
Zimmer declined to announce a starter Wednesday, saying he will see how veteran backup Shaun Hill and recently acquired Sam Bradford perform in practice this week before making a decision. And even after he does decide, the coach said he would not reveal the answer until just before kickoff in Nashville.
Bradford was acquired in a trade from Philadelphia on Saturday after Vikings starter Teddy Bridgewater went down with a major knee injury in practice last week.
The Vikings gave the Eagles a first-round draft pick and a conditional fourth-round pick. That kind of investment leads Titans coach Mike Mularkey to believe that Bradford will start the opener.
“He’s a very intelligent quarterback and he’s faced this defense before,” Mularkey said. Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson is appealing the NFL’s four-game suspension for testing positive for marijuana, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Wednesday because the suspension is being appealed and the NFL has not announced its ruling.
The person said Henderson’s appeal is based on him using marijuana for medicinal purposes to relieve the effects of Crohn’s disease. Henderson was diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel disease late last year, and has since had two surgeries on his intestines.
Emmanuel Sanders and the Denver Broncos agreed on a three-year, $33 million contract extension. Sanders will make $5.6 million this season in the final year of the threeyear, $15 million contract he signed in 2014 . ... The Chicago Bears signed three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman Kyle Long to a four-year contract extension through the 2021 season . ... Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa didn’t participate in practice Wednesday because of what appears to be an injury to his left leg. San Diego faces the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and all indications are that Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft, won’t play . ... The Philadelphia Eagles traded cornerback and former second-round pick Eric Rowe to the New England Patriots in exchange for a conditional draft pick. Rowe played in 16 games with five starts as a rookie last season and finished with 25 tackles and one interception. The Patriots also announced Wednesday that they released guard Josh Kline.