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Why did the Saints bother re-signing Drew Brees?

Michael Reaves / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The New Orleans Saints gave Drew Brees a two-year, $44.25-million contract just before the start of the season, essentially tying the long-time franchise quarterback to the team until he's almost 40.

While there's little doubt Brees remains one of the NFL's premier passers, the Saints' decision to commit big money to him will only delay the painful rebuilding process that's inevitable in the bayou.

The Saints are bad once again. That was proven beyond a doubt in Monday's 45-32 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that saw the Saints surrender 240 yards through the air, 217 on the ground, and six touchdowns as they fell to 0-3.

With their Super Bowl aspirations all but dead at this early juncture, it's time for the Saints to start planning for the future. But first, they must ask themselves why they didn't start that process years ago.

It's not Brees' fault the Saints are bad, but his enormous salary isn't helping. The Saints simply don't have enough talent on defense to compete, nor enough money under the salary cap to acquire more talent.

The Saints are tops in the NFL in one unenviable category: dead money. That is, salary cap allotment the team isn't allowed to spend because it's accounted for by players no longer on the roster.

Of the $155-million salary cap each team is permitted, the Saints are carrying roughly $40 million in dead money.

Among the most significant figures contributing to that enormous total are $12 million for Junior Galette, $5.1 million for Jahri Evans, $4.5 million for C.J. Spiller, and $4 million for Brandon Browner, according to ESPN's Andrew Brandt.

(Evans re-signed with the Saints in early September, but his dead money is still on the books after his February release.)

Other highly paid players, like free-agent mega-bust Jairus Byrd (who will earn $7.4 million this season), remain on the Saints' roster not because of merit but because the team has no realistic way to replace them with so little salary cap room.

Even when the Saints do find some money to spend under a pillow, they spend it unwisely. Can anyone explain why tight end Coby Fleener (who got a five-year, $36-million contract this offseason) was prioritized over defensive reinforcements?

General manager Mickey Loomis has tried to extend the Saints' Super Bowl window by patching roster holes as they appear, but he's out of bandages. Like in a cartoon, now he's removing bandages from his roster's existing wounds to patch the new gashes.

The only cure is a full reset. The Saints must stop committing new money to players and wait for their dead money charges to expire. It will be painful to endure, but only with a clean financial slate can the Saints begin rebuilding their roster in a logical, future-proof way.

Unfortunately, by the time that's possible Brees will likely be at the end of his run in the NFL.

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