Brees, who broke Dan Marino's single-season passing-yardage record in 2011, agreed to a five-year, $100 million contract with $60 million guaranteed in the first three years, and a stunning $40 million in the first year of the deal. The contract keeps Brees in New Orleans through his 36th birthday.
Had Brees not agreed with the Saints in a long-term contract, he would have played through the 2012 season as an exclusive-rights franchise player, making $16.37 million this season. But due to a recent appeal ruling which stated that the tag he received from the San Diego Chargers in 2005 was actually his first NFL tag -- making the 2012 tag his second no matter the team -- re-tagging him in 2013 would have been even more prohibitive. Per ESPN's Andrew Brandt, the contract will actually save the Saints almost $6 million in 2012 salary cap room from the franchise tag guarantee.
Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/drew-brees-signs-five-100-million-contract-stay-182831890--nfl.html
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