#mickey loomis

Mickey Loomis discusses Drew Brees' NFL-high cap hit for 2019

Quarterback Drew Brees is currently set to count for $33.5 million against the New Orleans Saints salary cap in 2019, but general manager Mickey Loomis acknowledged the team has ways to reduce that number if necessary.

“We’ll see what happens,” Loomis said Wednesday during an interview with New Orleans media members at Senior Bowl festivities. “We know it’s coming at some point, and we’ve kind of kicked the can down the road a number of times, haven’t we?”

Brees’ $33.5 million cap hit would be the highest in the NFL, $4 million more than Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s $29.5 million in second.

The Saints signed Brees, 40, to a two-year, $50 million deal in March 2018. In 2018, he counted for $24 million against the salary cap, but as a result of previous contracts and restructures, there’s more than the $50 million total due on the cap the next two seasons. In addition to the $33.5 million for 2019, Brees would count for $10.5 million on the cap in 2020, even though he’s not under contract.

According to OverTheCap.com, the Saints currently about $19.4 million in cap space for 2019, based on a projected $190 million league salary cap for next season. If the Saints want to create more space, they could try to restructure Brees’ current deal or approach him about a new contract. That could alleviate the issue in 2019, but it likely would keep Brees counting on the cap for years into the future.

Loomis said he and his staff are in the early stages of the offseason planning, which makes sense as the Saints' season just ended Sunday, and he doesn’t yet have an answer for how the team will approach Brees’ exorbitant cap hit.

“We’ve got a lot of mechanisms to maneuver the cap,” he said.

Intriguing position battles

Mickey Loomis pointed to running back and linebacker being two position groups he’ll watch closely during camp.

The Saints GM likes the core of the linebacker group with players like Demario Davis, A.J. Klein, Alex Anzalone, Manti Te’o and Craig Robertson as viable options.

Rams making Loomis' eyes pop

Mickey Loomis admitted his eyes consistently pop when he reads the contract numbers for the top players.

So you can bet Loomis understands the contracts for the Rams’ Todd Gurley (four-year extension maxing out at $60 million, $45 million guaranteed) and Brandin Cooks (five-year deal maxing out at $81 million, nearly $50 million guaranteed) with players like Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara one day on the docket.

Loomis said the league’s finances are consistently improving and the players deserve their share of the pie. He added how general managers also work with the challenges of how to slice the pie.

Thomas walks into this year’s camp with two years remaining on his rookie deal. Kamara still has three years to finish off his rookie contract. Loomis comprehends the Saints will have to open up the checkbook for both players.

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Hvad gør Saints i første runde?

Forestil dig at du er New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. Hvad gør du med Saints to første runde valg i nattens draft?

Saints har to første runde valg. Det 13. valg og det 31. pick overall. Men hvem skal man drafte og hvordan skal Loomis gribe det an.

[poll id=”123″]

Hvad gør Saints i første runde?

Forestil dig at du er New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis. Hvad gør du med Saints to første runde valg i nattens draft?

Saints har to første runde valg. Det 13. valg og det 31. pick overall. Men hvem skal man drafte og hvordan skal Loomis gribe det an.

[poll id=”123″]