Brees Value

Say whatever you want about the Drew Brees contract negotiations that are expected to come to a head soon, just don't use the term "market value" because it does not apply.  At all.

The deadline for any franchise player to sign a long-term contract with their club is Monday, July 16th.  If they don't come to an agreement by the start of next week that player must play under the one year tender amount.  Or not play at all, but we all know that is not going to happen.

The clock has been ticking on the Brees deal for several years as both sides knew this day was coming.  Business is business and big-money negotiations are never easy but perhaps the most mind-boggling aspect of this situation is that it has gotten to this point.  Elite quarterbacks like Brees rarely get to the point where they are actually missing on-field activities like Brees has this offseason which tells you that things have gotten contentious whether either side will admit it or not.  Controlling perfectionists like Brees do not like to miss reps.  Ever.

But this isn't about the Brees negotiations per se as much as it is a discussion on the continued use of what the "market" is for Brees or what would be "fair" and how it compares to deals signed by Tom Brady and Peyton Manning recently.  Let's be real clear about this; if Brees was able to see what his actual market value was he would become the highest paid player in NFL history.  By a lot.

In a league where no player has ever gotten $20 million a year, Brees would command a contract that would pay him $25 million a year.  Easily.  From several teams.

Think that's wrong?  Overstating his value?

Well, did you see what happened to Peyton Manning when he hit the open market after the Colts released him in March? 

He had, by some accounts, a dozen teams that were interested in his services, all of which seemed to be willing to meet pretty much any price he named.  For a guy who is coming off four separate neck procedures and didn't play a snap of football in 2011.  Without any real guarantee or even knowing how he will play this year.  Truth is, Manning took it easy on the pocketbooks of those teams.

"I am 100% sure that Peyton Manning could have gotten more from Miami, Tennessee, and Seattle than he got from Denver.  He truly didn't make the move for the money which is very rare in professional sports," said former VP of Player Finance for the Green Bay Packers Andrew Brandt, now an NFL business analyst for ESPN.

"An open market for Drew would be Peyton's 2011 Colts Contract, which paid out $70 million over the first three years.  That would be a starting point for negotiations for Brees."

Maybe, except Manning negotiated that while he was restricted by the Colts franchise tender and coming off a neck procedure that made his availability for 2011 uncertain.  Brees has been healthy ever since coming to New Orleans and has played as well as any QB in the league during that time.

This has nothing to do with the recent ruling by Arbitrator Stephen Burbank that ruled Brees would receive close to $24 million in 2013 if the Saints were to franchise him yet again.  And this is not a knock on the Saints either.  They have seen what Brady and Manning have gotten paid, have the leverage of the franchise tender for this year, and rightfully should use it.

The fact is, there is no such thing as market value for the Brees deal because nobody even really knows how high it would get.  If there were no franchise tag in the NFL, like there isn't in MLB, NHL, or the NBA, the money Brees would get offered would blow people away.  You know, if he were allowed to decide where he wanted to live and who he wanted to work for like most people in society.

How much do you think Woody Johnson would offer Brees to take over Manhattan and get the Jets to the Super Bowl for the first time since Broadway Joe?  Or Daniel Snyder in Washington?

Both teams were interested in Manning.  He wasn't interested in them.

Really the only argument against Brees market value would be the salary cap and many have argued that you couldn't pay Brees $25M a year and still field a competitive team.  Please.

Sure, the salary cap is important and a consideration but a truly elite QB can make a lot of players around him look a whole lot better.  Manning did it in Indy for years.  The new CBA allows teams to prorate bonus money out over six years so give him a $60 million signing bonus and $5 million base salaries the first three years.  Brees gets $25 million a year yet the cap charge is only $15 million, which is actually less than what his cap number is currently slated to be this year.

Value is determined by what somebody is willing to pay for something, pure and simple.  For Brees and all of the teams out there lacking a truly elite quarterback, which is most of them by the way, it's a shame they will never get the chance to determine what his value really is.

MAILBAG QUESTIONS: Send your questions either via email to ross@sportsusamedia.com or via Twitter to both @rosstuckernfl and @sports_usa.

@RossTuckerNFL Always heard NT crucial to 3-4. Colts seem to bank on Chapman. NT overvalued or is Colts D dependent on production at NT

From Jeff Belot‏@aka_Beerman via Twitter

Nose tackle is critical for the run defense in a 3-4 because he must control both A Gaps on either side of the center.  The nose tackle really is the keystone or the fulcrum of that defense. Chapman did an excellent job of that in college for the Alabama Crimson Tide.  As long as he can return to health, which is a question mark, he should be able to do that in the NFL for the Colts and represent a really good bargain in the 3rd round.

Could you break down what an offseason week/month is for a new NFL player. Rookie/FA/Etc...

How do they get housing?

Who pays for the housing?

Workout money?

How many meals a day?

How do guys get from home to workouts and back?

Paying for flights?

Getting from airport to training/housing?

And anything else I may have neglected to think of

From Dana via email

Wow you are really into the details Dana.  I love it though because these are the type of questions a lot of people have about the NFL that they can never otherwise get answered.  Keep them coming!  The team hooks up rookies with free housing during the offseason after they are drafted or signed.  They now receive $150 per workout with a maximum of four per week that are paid.  Breakfast and lunch are typically available at the team facility and the team provides transportation to and from the airport.  Basically, everything is covered because they know those guys don't really have any money yet.  If they make the team, they have to get a place on their own by Week 2.

@RossTuckerNFL @Sports_USA Hard Knocks makes for great TV. How close is it to the reality? Would you have enjoyed having a camp with HK?

JM‏@akivamyson via Twitter

I love the show and think it is very close to reality, with the exception of the players that are clearly pandering for the camera and the attention.  Although even the fact that players would do that is real because some guys clamor for the spotlight.  I am glad that I never had to go thru a camp with Hard Knocks because I wouldn't have wanted to worry about what I said or did and I am such a creature of habit and routine that I would worry that the show would somehow mess with that.