The New Orleans Saints made it clear very quickly that Drew Brees was returning in the final year of his contract. With the quarterback position seemingly taken care of, the Saints can now determine the status of the rest of the roster as they need to retool several areas. One of the lone bright spots for the Saints in 2015 was the rise of tight end Benjamin Watson who is hopeful he can return in 2016.
Following the trade of Jimmy Graham, Watson emerged as a go-to threat for Brees on the field. The 35-year-old picked a good time to post career-high numbers as he prepares to become a free agent. Determining a contract for Watson might be easier said than done, but the Saints would be wise to keep him around. The biggest concern is his age. The tight end stressed that Brees still plays at a high level at 37 and so can he as Watson hopes the Saints keep that in mind.
"I still enjoy playing football," Watson said, via NOLA.com. "I will take the opportunities as they come. I'm kind of in a different place than I was the last couple times I was in free agency, whereas now I'm a little more relaxed about it. I'm waiting to see what doors open and what doors close. I had a good meeting with Mickey (Loomis) and Sean (Payton), and we talked about the season like they do with everybody. They'll make their decisions with personnel whenever the time comes. I'm at a position where I'm healthy -- thank God. I didn't have any surgeries. I enjoyed playing this season. I enjoy the city of New Orleans. If it's New Orleans, I would love to be here."
The Saints could easily keep Watson around for relatively cheap. The need more playmakers on the roster and he has certainly proven he can be one. A player that did not prove that is CJ Spiller who had a forgettable year following the signing of a four-year, $16 million contract. Spiller never really got healthy or up to speed in the new offense and ended things on injured reserve. According to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport, if someone is going to be a cap casualty, it will be him.
Another need for the Saints is to begin building for the future. Brees is returning in the final year of his contract and then the Saints have question marks. It is unclear just how much longer the quarterback will be on the field and New Orleans has nothing developing in the backup role. According to mock drafts on ESPN.com, the Saints could target a quarterback early to begin developing behind Brees. Carson Wentz, Connor Cook or Christian Hackenberg could be options depending on how early the team makes a move.