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Saints' Strief: No player deserves to be paid more than Brees

Wesley Hitt / Getty Images Sport / Getty

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is entering the final year of his current contract with the team he's called his own for 10 seasons.

One player who has been with him through all that time is offensive tackle Zach Strief, who was a rookie in Brees' first season with the Saints.

Brees has been known as a tremendous teammate and one of the hardest working quarterbacks the NFL has to offer. For those reasons, Strief believes there should be no hesitation when it comes to re-signing the future Hall of Famer.

"Nobody deserves to be paid and to be compensated more than him," Strief told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Sunday. "No one puts in more time. Nobody is more important to this team and this locker room. To us, as players, there's nobody that we feel is more important to take care of than that guy. That's how I certainly feel. Drew's contract will get done. Obviously with a guy that valuable and that expensive, that contract takes time. But I would never blame a guy coming or going on Drew."

Some are concerned Brees may not be worth the money he desires at the age of 37, as he is already set to have a $30-million cap hit in 2016. While his age is a difficult number to overlook, Brees' teammates have been impressed with his preparation and consistency as he ages.

"I can tell you when Drew is going to be in the tight ends room on a Thursday during the season, what time he's going to be there," Strief said. "After practice on a given day, where he's going to be and what time. It's amazing. I mean, that guy, he is like a quarterbacking robot. And you know exactly what you're getting out of him and as a lineman, that's the best thing you can ask for, to know exactly what you're going to get out of him."

Brees has remained confident that an extension will be reached, but he has also requested not to negotiate during the season, giving the Saints a finite amount of time to get a deal done.

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