Brees: ‘Not worried one bit’ about remaining a Saint

Drew Brees says he would be “beyond stunned” if he and the New Orleans Saints were unable to agree on a contract extension during this offseason, echoing comments by coach Sean Payton this week. Brees adds he doesn’t believe his next deal will prevent the Saints from bidding for some other key members of their record-setting offense who will become free agents, including Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks and receivers Marques Colston and Robert Meachem. “My No. 1 priority, and it always has been this, is keeping our team together and making sure we have the right guys in the right positions to make a run at this for a long time,” Brees told The Associated Press today by phone from his offseason home in San Diego. “We all kind of work together on this thing. Put it this way: I’m not worried one bit about my contract or our ability to keep guys at key positions.” Brees is expected to command an annual salary in the range of $18 million, which would be commensurate with the average yearly pay of New England’s Tom Brady and Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning. Brees’ agent is Tom Condon, who also represents Manning. The Associated Press has the full story here.