Drew Brees finally signed a record-setting contract with the New Orleans Saints. The deal is worth $100 million—$60 million of which is guaranteed—over five years.
While Saints fans rejoice, the rest of Middle America finds the whole thing to be completely unfair.
"Is he seriously going to make $20 million a year to throw a football around every Sunday?"
You're damn right he will, and Brees deserves every penny.
The NFL is as recession-proof as beer and toilet paper. Despite half of the country looking for work, the league has been printing money at an ever-growing rate.
Stars like Brees are the driving force behind this engine. No matter how many amenities they build inside the stadiums or how pretty the cheerleaders are, fans show up to watch the headliners perform on the field.
Therefore, since these guys are generating that revenue with their tireless work ethics, shouldn't they receive large chunks of that change?
Would you rather it went to guys like Art Modell?
I didn't think so.
Now that we've moved past that roadblock, let's get down to why this particular player deserves a contract containing eight zeros.
Drew Brees is the Best Quarterback in the Game
Organizations spend millions of dollars scouting players and still miss on franchise quarterbacks more often than not. So when you have a chance to lock up the best quarterback in the league, you do it at whatever cost.
The Saints took a chance in 2006 on a surgically repaired castoff. Few investments have yielded higher returns, New Orleans' return including the franchise's first Super Bowl title.
Drew Brees has world-class accuracy to mix with moxie and an incredible football IQ. It doesn't require a leap of faith to declare Brees the best quarterback in the game.
Of course, there are other contenders for the crown.
Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and others have much more than legitimate claims, but Brees has carried a franchise from obscurity to constant relevancy.
Additionally, Brees has missed one out of a possible 96 games while Brady and Peyton Manning have each been relegated to the sidelines for an entire season.
Lastly, no quarterback has thrown for more yards than Brees' record-setting 5,476 in 2012. And just for good measure, he also led the league with 46 touchdown passes.
Not too shabby.
Captain of the Ship
In case you've recently risen from the dead, the Saints have had quite atumultuous offseason.
Of all the events that occurred, the suspension of head coach Sean Payton for the entire season looms largest.
When times are difficult and the outlook is hazy, that's when teams turn to their leaders.
And things couldn't be too much worse in New Orleans.
Thus, not having Brees in camp would have been apocalyptic in some ways. Teammates would have been forced to deal with constant questions about their quarterback instead of preparing for the season.
Brees is needed to bring the team together and get them back on track. He is probably the only person allowed contact with everyone that is capable of pulling that off.
When it comes to success, don't underestimate the power of consistency and stability.
Brees is the only shot the Saints have at either.
Source: http://bleacherreport.com
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