Saints' Loomis: No plans to blow up roster if Brees retires

The New Orleans Saints are staring at an offseason in which multiple players could leave, but general manager Mickey Loomis believes his team will remain a championship-caliber squad.

Despite the salary-cap challenges ahead, Loomis said there are no plans to start from scratch if veteran quarterback Drew Brees retires. He said the team has a great roster, and Loomis can't "foresee a circumstance" in which the Saints don't try to remain competitive.

"(We're going to) do everything we can to win - win now and compete for a championship," he said, according to ESPN's Mike Triplett.

The Saints are projected to be $105 million over the salary cap, according to Spotrac, and they're not certain about Brees' future. The 42-year-old is taking time to think before making a decision about retirement. Loomis said the club will wait for Brees before forming a plan at the position, according to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.

After struggling to push the ball downfield and dealing with various injuries in 2020, Brees plays a significant part in New Orleans' salary-cap puzzle this offseason. The signal-caller would account for a $36.1-million cap hit if he returns.

Loomis continued, saying the club is entering a difficult offseason that could feature many changes.

"Look, for sure it’s gonna be challenging. And yet I don’t want to speculate as to how challenging it’s gonna be until we have a better understanding of what’s gonna be available - not just for this year, but even for the year after," the general manager noted.

"I would say it does feel (like) more (turnover) than usual," Loomis added, according to Fox 44 News' Brooke Kirchhofer." ... I think when we count the numbers it’s not too unusual but it does feel like that, I agree."

The Saints are coming off their fourth straight playoff appearance, but their many key impending free agents include Trey Hendrickson, Jared Cook, and Jameis Winston.