Per Telegram:
Drew Brees and the Saints reached a deal on par with the quarterback’s record-setting play, giving New Orleans’ fans some news they can celebrate after an offseason rife with turmoil. The team announced yesterday that it had agreed to a five-year contract with Brees. A person familiar with the deal said it’s for $100 million, with $60 million guaranteed. The deal will also pay the quarterback $40 million the first year, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial details had not been publicly announced. He had been tagged as the Saints’ exclusive franchise player and could not negotiate with other teams. Had a deal not been reached, the tender for a quarterback was worth $16.3 million. Brees would have had to play for that amount or hold out for a better one-year deal, which would have left his long-term future in New Orleans uncertain. Brees skipped the Saints’ offseason practices while holding out for his new long-term contract, which now gives him the highest average annual pay ($20 million) in NFL history.
