Brees: Saints 'very close' to Super Bowl contention

Another busy offseason all but confirms the New Orleans Saints are doing everything they can to gear up for another Super Bowl run while Drew Brees is still around.

And why wouldn't they?

Brees remains one of the league's elite quarterbacks as he heads into his 17th season, and surrounding him with some more talent, even if with a short-term vision, could pay off in a big way.

Despite a run of three consecutive mediocre seasons, all of which ending with a 7-9 record and middle-of-the-pack finish in the NFC South, the future Hall of Famer is confident the Saints are within striking distance.

"I think that we're very close," Brees said in an appearance on PFT Live on Friday. "I'm excited about the offseason acquisitions we've made, we've got five picks in the first three rounds, five picks in the first (103) picks in this year's draft, so the ability to go out and acquire some young talent as well, some guys who can come in and make an instant impact.

"Now more than ever you're seeing young people come in and playing key roles on teams and maybe that's just, from high school to college to the NFL, the development of these guys is at an all-time high so they're coming in more and more ready to take on significant roles. So when you add all those things up, plus the veteran presence on our team and the leadership, and certainly the motivation from what's transpired the last three years, I feel very good about where we're at."

Among the most notable additions made so far in free agency were wide receiver Ted Ginn, guard Larry Warford, defensive end Alex Okafor, and linebackers A.J. Klein and Manti Te'o.

Ginn satisfies the need for a speed element created by trading Brandin Cooks, Warford rounds out a talented offensive line in front of Brees, and the others address various needs on the other side of the ball.

While there are still pressing defensive needs in the secondary and up front, an extra first-round pick acquired from the New England Patriots in exchange for Cooks should provide opportunities to land instant impact players in both spots.

Significant improvements to a defense that ranked 31st in points allowed last season would give New Orleans every opportunity to lock down its first playoff appearance since 2013.

Led by Brees and Payton, the high-powered offense led the league in scoring and was second only to the Atlanta Falcons in total yards.