Imagining a Saints trade proposal with the Cowboys and 49ers
By Dean Mullen
The New Orleans Saints continue to be in and out of the rumor mill regarding the futures of head coach Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Is there a scenario where they could be gone in 2016?
I would imagine New Orleans Saints fans are feeling a little better after Sunday’s win versus the Jacksonville Jaguars. The offense looked sharp, and the defense forced some critical turnovers which was key to winning the game.
That being said, there are more rumors swirling out there about Sean Payton and Drew Brees. I’m sure if you googled either one right now, you could find at least ten different landing spots for each. There are more like five realistic scenarios and teams where Payton could end up. Drew Brees, I believe, has more teams that he could play for if he wanted. In my proposal, there is a three-team scenario that could change the landscape in the next 3-5 years in the Big Easy.
The more simpler part involves the Dallas Cowboys. A lot of the media is missing one very simple variable in all of this — Sean Payton has family in Dallas. LeBron James went back to Cleveland because of family. Teams can wine and dine coaches to no end. Family ties can trump all that. Not to mention, the Cowboys have a pretty good team and an owner that wants Payton.
Jerry Jones wants to win, and although Jason Garrett has recently signed a mega deal to coach Dallas long-term, don’t think Jerry won’t go for broke in his last few years. The Saints would trade Sean Payton’s rights to the Cowboys for their first-round pick. Yes, this has been done before. Take a look at what teams got for the likes of Jon Gruden and Bill Belichick.
So, let’s take it a step further, and hear me out. Let’s throw in Drew Brees. The Saints would definitely get a quality player and a high-end draft pick. Jerry would get Payton and Brees. Obviously, there’s a big obstacle with this scenario — Tony Romo. At this point my proposal gets a little bit more convoluted. That’s because another team, the San Francisco 49ers, is involved.
It’s no secret that the 49ers are moving away from Colin Kaepernick and looking for a quarterback. So, if the Dallas Cowboys get Drew Brees, there is no doubt that Tony Romo would be expendable. This theory is going be a hard one for many people to fathom. Why would the Cowboys part ways with Tony Romo after just signing him for a long-term deal? Not to mention, the team has self-destructed without him this year.
There is one variable that trumps Romo as well. Jerry Jones, if you remember, could not work with Jimmy Johnson after the coach brought him two Super Bowl titles. The debacle was called a mutual separation. The fact of the matter is Jerry Jones is unpredictable. Jerry wants to win now, and he’s not getting any younger. Drew Brees got a title in New Orleans. Tony Romo has not — he hasn’t even been close. Maybe it’s his fault, maybe not.
Drew Brees, although aging, gives Jerry a better chance at getting a championship quicker. Drew Brees also understands that time is not on his side as well. So, the Cowboys will trade Tony Romo to get some quality draft picks. Dallas can spend those picks on upgrading the offense for Drew Brees. There is just one more piece to this puzzle.
The 49ers have to make a move with Colin Kaepernick. This is where the proposal gets really complicated, but keep following me. Some genius at the 49ers organization wrote up a contract that gives San Francisco some serious leverage. You know that six-year $114, 000,000 contract that was supposedly a blockbuster lottery win for Kaepernick? Guess again.
I can’t break down the contract in a sentence, but the quick interpretation is that the 49ers have until April 1, 2016 until most of that is guaranteed. The contract could only cost the 49ers only 20-25 million when all is said and done.
Now back to the Saints. Just to recap, the Saints send Drew Brees and Sean Payton to the Cowboys, and Dallas sends Romo to San Francisco. The Saints are still missing a quarterback. This is where Kaepernick comes in. If the Saints are lucky enough they can get him for free once the 49ers cut him. That involves a lot of risk though. Other teams would have a chance to recruit him as well. This is a lot to risk.
The Saints would have the cap room to sign Kaepernick with the room they would have after trading Drew Brees. Again, the best case scenario would be getting him for free. The more likely scenario would be offering up something spicy like a Mark Ingram and a draft pick. The scenarios are endless. Kaepernick would be a great fit for the Saints — they haven’t had a running threat like him.
With a new coach coming in, this could all work. The Saints keep Tim Hightower as the feature back. Perhaps they can still keep Ingram. The bigger picture is that the Saints would have a legitimate starter that has gone to a Super Bowl. If Jim Harbaugh thought highly enough of Kaepernick to start him, that’s good enough for me. The Saints win the Super Bowl in the next two years and Kapernick is the grand marshal of Endymion. Can you see it? At least it’s an idea.