Drew Brees, The New Orleans Saints And “The Window”
The more and more I think about it, the more I believe that it’s true. I believe this is the most important off season in New Orleans Saints history because of “THE WINDOW”.
In case your wondering what “THE WINDOW” is, it’s quite simple, Drew Brees is 32 years old and has one year remaining on his current deal.
It’s pretty safe to say he’s not going anywhere else and will sign a long term deal sometime this offseason. That’s priority number 0ne for Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton.
But Brees is not getting any younger and is in his prime right now. Therefore “The Window”, while not closing fast, won’t last forever and will only be open for the next five to ten years barring any unforseen health issues.
That’s why the Saints need to take advantage of this era while Brees is in his prime by resigning key players and adding a few others that can help bring a second championship to the Cresent City.
But the wildcard in all of this is the labor negotiations. Who’s knows what will be the deciding verdict on this. Its possible that the Saints will only have one month to make moves and resign key players, heck free agency may not even happen.
The draft is also a big factor in all this as the Saints need help along the denfenive line in the worst way.
For years everyone has said they need a linebacker to compliment Vilma, which I agree they do, but just as important, and probably even more important, is the addition of an elite pass rushing defensive end.
The Saints are not getting enough pressure on the quarterback with their front four evident considering defensive tackle Sedrcik Ellis lead the team in sacks this past year, and a defensive tackle should not have a higher sack total than your defensive ends.
New Orleans has the 24th pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Loomis and Payton have a good history drafting players so it’s very possible they can draft a starter or possibly an impact player with that pick.
Let’s hope so because “THE WINDOW” won’t be open forever. The time is now for this team. With the right moves it could be our moment to shine again as TWO DAT CHAMPS.
Check out Keith Null’s weekly article about the Saints on NFL.com by clicking here.
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