This NFL offseason, the longevity of Drew Brees' career has come into question. The New Orleans Saints had a disappointing 2014 season and with salary cap restraints hindering their ability to improve, many began to question if Brees was worth the money he was earning with the team. With two years still remaining on his contract, Brees is a huge salary cap hit considering his age. The result turned out to be New Orleans drafting Garrett Grayson in the third round to potentially take over when the veteran is gone.
The Saints drafting a quarterback in the third round shocked no one, not even Brees. In need of a quality backup, they were expected to take one regardless, but having Grayson fall into their lap was the ideal scenario for the Saints. While Grayson hs quickly been impressing everyone in New Orleans, Brees is downplaying his role with the team.
"I'm worried about winning a championship," Brees said, via ESPN.com. "Trying to be the best player I can be, trying to be the leader that I can be, that applies to how can I help get the best out of everyone who is on the team. I've got a great relationship with (backup QBs) Luke McCown and Ryan Griffinand I'm sure that as I get to know Garrett, we'll very much be like that as well. All the quarterbacks are great together. We push one another, we compete, we get the best out of one another. That's what you kind of like about surrounding yourself with those types of guys. And Garrett seems to be that kind of guy."
Brees has heard the trade rumors surrounding his name. He knows that the Saints, even if they will not admit it, have pondered life without him. The quarterback told ESPN that drafting Grayson was "their prerogative" but it certainly was not going to factor into how he approaches the season. So while there is not a quarterback competition brewing between Brees and Grayson, there is one forming at the running back position.
Instead of chasing more wide receivers to benefit their pass-first offense, the Saints re-signed Mark Ingram, grabbed CJ Spiller as a free agent and drafted Marcus Murphy. They also have last year's breakout star Khiry Robinson returning. Ingram likely re-signed with the Saints under the impression that he would be the starter for the team, but the presence of Spiller changes all of that. While Ingram praised the addition of Spiller to the media, head coach Sean Payton envisions some competition.
"Mark Ingram had his best season last year," Payton said, via AL.com. "Certainly an every-down player. He's smart. He's someone that stayed healthy and did a great job for us. We also realize the attrition and challenges of playing that position for 16 weeks. To some degree, we have always had complimentary players at running back -- a guy like Reggie Bush in the early years and Darren Sproles. Khiry Robinson is a player that I think gives us a physical presence as well. Spiller's (skillset) is a unique one. I think one of things that helped us sign C.J. was the versatility that we look to have when he's in the game. We'll look at packages to put him out wide, packages where he's in the backfield with another running back."
