Drew Brees Re-Signs With New Orleans
After flirting with retirement, Brees decided to run it back in the Big Easy.
It’s a 2 year $50M deal for Brees, but I believe Brees is going to take this year by year.
Only one question remains, will Brees go out on top winning another ring for the Saints? Or will he walk into retirement holding on to the 1 ring he won in 2010?
Who knows, but that’s why we watch.
Grade For New Orleans: B
Teddy Bridgewater Signs With Carolina
The Cam Newton era in Carolina is officially over.
Bridgewater comes in to replace Newton in Carolina under new head coach Matt Rhule, after a year in which he kept the Saints afloat in the NFC playoff race after Drew Brees went down early in the year with a major thumb injury.
Is Bridgewater really a better option than Newtown though? I’m not so sure.
While it’s been great to see Birdgewater rebound after his devastating leg injury 4 years ago, I just don’t think he’s a better current option than Newton. Scheme wise, Newton would’ve been a much better fit in Rhule’s spread offense, but it seems Carolina wanted to go in a different direction.
Again, I love Bridgewater, but handing out $63M to someone who’s a worse option than Newton seems kind of odd.
Grade For Carolina: C-
Amari Cooper Re-Signs With Dallas
Cooper wanted to stay in Dallas and Dallas wanted to keep Cooper.
The end result? The love story continues for 5 more years.
Cooper received a 5 year $100M deal from the Cowboys, with $60M in guarantees.
Cooper’s play has significantly took Dak Prescott’s play to another level, as these 2 have developed their connection into one of the more exciting ones in the league. Cooper has erased all concerns many had once Dez Bryant was released in 2018, giving Jerry Jones the luxury to watch his offense blossom into one without too many concerns.
With Mike McCarthy now in the fold as head coach, it’ll be interesting to see how far this offense can go.
McCarthy didn’t take a year off to study as many modern changes to the game for nothing, I wonder if it’ll pay off.
Grade For Dallas: B+
Emmanuel Sanders Signs With New Orleans
This is a wonderful fit for Sanders, a fit that I’m sure will pay off in a big way.
Sanders is over 30, but his performance in San Francisco last year shows he still has plenty to offer. Sliding Sanders in this Saints offense opposite Michael Thomas, it’s like a dream come true for Sean Payton and company. This offense has relied on the other worldly brilliance of Brees and Michael Thomas for far too long, so it’s about time they’ve given Brees another proven option on the outside.
The Saints have tried many options at WR2 for the last couple of seasons, and none of them have worked out the way they expected.
But now with Sanders on one side, and Michael Thomas on the other, this Saints offense is only going to get better.
A Saints offense with another added weapon, as great as it’s been without a decent WR2, should scare the rest of the NFC out of their socks.
Sanders has had some injury problems over the years though, so that’ll need some monitoring.
Grade For New Orleans: B+
Todd Gurley Signs With Atlanta
Gurley’s release from LA told us the same thing many have said over the last few years.
Giving big money to a running back is completely irresponsible. Even with Gurley’s added impact in the passing game, the grind of the position wore him down to the point of no return. Gurley has accumulated numerous injuries over the years, even sustaining a knee injury that involves arthritis.
Yikes.
But, the good thing for Gurley is that he didn’t have to wait around long for his next team.
Not long after he was axed, Gurley signed a 1 year deal with Atlanta.
The Falcons were in need of a dynamic back after the release of Devonta Freeman, and Gurley fits the description of their need a-okay.
The expectations for Gurley aren’t high, considering the alarming knee injury he’s still dealing with, but Atlanta could be a nice spot where he can rise his value again and play in an offense that fits what he can bring to the table.
Grade For Atlanta: C+