Brees contract negotiations not going well

[ThomasTomasz]

Drew Brees says his contract negotiations with the New Orleans Saints have become "extremely frustrating."

The Saints placed the exclusive rights franchise tag on Brees in March and the sides have until July 16 to hammer out a long-term extension. The contract talks have loomed all offseason, but have taken on even greater significance in the light of the NFL's bounty investigation which cost the Saints draft picks, thousands of dollars in fines and got several coaches and players suspended, including head coach Sean Payton's yearlong ban.

Brees said Wednesday in an interview with WWL radio in New Orleans that he doesn't know why the sides haven't been able to work out a deal yet.

"It's been extremely frustrating for me," Brees said. "I don't think the negotiation should have been this difficult."

Brees, who has not attended the team's offseason program, says he's committed to getting a deal done, but is frustrated by what he perceives to be a lack of communication from the team.

"We've reached out on a number of occasions and at times I've been frustrated by the lack of response," Brees said, according to Pro Football Talk.

The reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year said he doesn't sense the "urgency" from the Saints he believes should be there.

"This is a big time for our team, especially when you look at what's happened in this offseason, missing our head coach, Sean Payton," Brees told WWL, according to Pro Football Talk. "There should be a sense of urgency and yet it seems like there's not."

Saints owner Tom Benson has said the sides were close to a long-term deal, but a person familiar with the negotiations told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter on May 2 that was not the case.

According to Pro Football Talk, Brees, who led the Saints to the franchise's only Super Bowl title, said Wednesday the Saints have yet to offer him an acceptable deal.

"Maybe not as close as people would be led to believe," Brees said, according to Pro Football Talk. "I would say that the numbers that have been thrown around by ESPN and some of these other places, at times, have been pretty heavily inflated."

Brees said he wants to retire as a member of the Saints and understands that contract talks are always a "process."

The six-time Pro Bowler said he's done everything that's been asked of him since joining the Saints in 2006 and is simply looking for fair market value.

"I think there's certainly what I think would be an appropriate, I guess, [salary] number for my situation," said Brees, who broke Dan Marino's single-season passing yards record last season, throwing for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns. "It's not I think anything that's unreasonable or anything like that. I'd say there's a lot that goes into these negotiations ... it's not as simple as what people might think. There are a lot of things to consider, a lot to talk about."

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7...alks-new-orleans-saints-extremely-frustrating

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