New Orleans Saints’ 2020 NFL free-agent signings: Emmanuel Sanders joins the fold
NFL free agency is off and running, and we’re keeping track of every major signing, trade and release of the 2020 offseason, with analysis from our NFL Nation reporters and grades from Bill Barnwell. The new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, which means free-agent signings can be made official after that. The first round of the 2020 NFL draft begins on April 23.
Here’s a breakdown of every 2020 NFL free-agent signing by the New Orleans Saints, and how each move will impact the upcoming season:
Drew Brees, quarterback
Brees has agreed to a two-year deal with the Saints that is worth approximately $50 million, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
What it means: We already knew Brees was coming back for a 20th season. But this is even better news for the Saints since he’ll be doing it at such a discounted rate. Brees’ new deal is the same as his old one (two years, $50 million, per source—likely with only one year of guaranteed salary). And this time, he’s even more of a bargain considering the inflation of QB salaries around the league. As of now, Brees ranks 12th among NFL quarterbacks in average salary, with more guys likely to pass him up soon. That’s huge for a Saints team that is slammed tight against the salary cap and has some hefty contract extensions looming for Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore. The Saints have one of the NFL’s most talented rosters, with a total of 14 players who were named to either the Pro Bowl or Associated Press All-Pro team last year. This will help them keep that roster intact as much as possible.
What’s the risk: Well, Brees is 41 years old. So there is some obvious inherent risk in that. And by investing in him, the Saints will almost certainly have to let go of 27-year-old backup Teddy Bridgewater, who would’ve been a nice succession plan if they were able to hang on to him indefinitely. But the decision to keep Brees is a no-brainer — especially at this price tag. He has actually been playing some of the best football of his career over the past two seasons, with the two best passer ratings (116.3 in 2019, 115.7 in 2018). He was the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Month last December with 15 touchdown passes and no interceptions. And while he no longer throws the deep ball as often or as well as he did in the past, he has made up for that with higher completion percentages and lower interception totals.
The Saints will have to get creative with their salary-cap bookkeeping to squeeze in his new deal. Brees was already scheduled to count $15.9 million against the 2020 cap because of “dead money” from his old deal. They will likely push back a similar amount into future years. But they will eventually be able to pay off the credit card bills whenever Brees does retire — and they should have even more room to catch up once the NFL’s new CBA and TV deals kick in.
Andrus Peat, guard
The Saints have agreed to re-sign Peat to a five-year contract, the team announced Friday. The deal is worth $57.5 million, with $33 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN, confirming a report by NFL Network.
What it means: I thought this was an area where the Saints might look to save some money with their limited salary-cap space, since they have so much invested elsewhere across the offensive line and since Peat had a down year in 2019. Instead, they appear to be paying full price for him with a five-year, $57.5 million deal that includes $33 million guaranteed, per source. Now it makes me wonder if they will continue to invest in both right guard Larry Warford and veteran backup Nick Easton, both of whom have high cap figures. The Saints are going to need to create some more cap space somewhere if they plan to add anymore top free agents — especially if they’re saving room to re-sign running back Alvin Kamara to a lucrative extension later this offseason.
