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NFL notebook: Brees, Saints agree to 5-year extension

[September 08, 2016] The Sports Xchange

The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees finally agreed to contract extension on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old Brees will receive $44.25 million fully guaranteed over the next two years and gets more than the $20 million in 2016, according to ESPN and NFL Network. The extension will be announced as a five-year deal but contains an automatic void to two years.

"I'm humbled and honored, and have been since the day I first set foot here as a New Orleans Saint," Brees told reporters Wednesday at his regularly scheduled press conference. "It's been an incredible journey and I hope to continue that journey for quite a bit longer.

"Both sides are very happy, certainly I'm very happy. I want to play my entire career here. ... This allows me to be here for a bit longer and I'll be here as long as they'll have me."

The deal also includes a no-trade clause and forbids the Saints from using their franchise tag on the quarterback, according to ESPN. By spreading the contract over five years, the Saints reduce Brees' $30 million salary cap hit for 2016, which was the highest for any player in NFL history.

-- Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer doesn't plan to announce his starting quarterback before Sunday's regular-season opener in Nashville, but Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey is fairly certain it will be Sam Bradford.

"The number of starts (Bradford) has, he's a very intelligent quarterback, he's faced this defense before," Mularkey said as he listed the reasons he believes that Bradford will be the starter. "They wouldn't give up a 1 (first-round pick) and a 4 (fourth-round pick) to have him sit very long.

"He's had a very good preseason - really, both the quarterbacks had good preseasons. I would anticipate (Bradford) starts, and if he doesn't, it's not going to change how we prepare."

-- The Chicago Bears signed offensive lineman Kyle Long to a four-year extension that keeps the starting guard under contract through the 2021 season.

The extension is worth $40 million with $30 million in guarantees and $23 million fully guaranteed, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Long, a three-time Pro Bowler, has started 47 games (31 at right guard and 16 at right tackle) in three NFL seasons (2013-15) with Chicago. He is one of seven players in Bears history to earn a Pro Bowl nod in each of his first three professional seasons.

-- Elvis Dumervil will not play Sunday in the regular-season opener for the Baltimore Ravens because of a setback in his recovery from offseason foot surgery.

Dumervil did not practice Wednesday and said the turnaround is too tight to expect positive results on the field Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

Dumervil, 32, was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Aug. 22. But his last practice was Aug. 29, and the next date -- when he might return to the starting lineup -- is very much up in the air.

-- The New Orleans Saints re-signed six-time Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans, according to multiple reports.

Evans missed just seven starts over 10 seasons with the Saints before the veteran was cut in February. He started all 153 games he played for the Saints.

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Coach Sean Payton hinted the Saints are bringing back the 33-year-old Evans, who reportedly would sign a one-year deal.

-- Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, according to an ESPN report.

Henderson, 24, passed his physical on Aug. 22 and returned to practice for the first time in nearly nine months after battling Crohn's disease since last season. According to the report, the positive test was apparently caused by a treatment for the disease and Henderson is appealing the suspension.

Henderson was plagued by failed drug tests while at the University of Miami, causing some teams to remove him from their draft boards in 2014, and reportedly tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Scouting Combine.

-- The New England Patriots officially acquired defensive back Eric Rowe in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a conditional draft selection.

To make room on the roster, the Patriots released offensive lineman Josh Kline. Initial reports Tuesday had Kline going to the Eagles as part of the trade, but he was not involved.

Rowe, 23, is in his second NFL season after being drafted by Philadelphia in the second round (47th overall) of the 2015 draft out of Utah. The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Rowe played in 16 games (five starts) as a rookie and finished with 25 total tackles, one interception and five passes defensed.

-- The Philadelphia Eagles signed kicker Caleb Sturgis to a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season.

Sturgis, 27, has a base salary of $900,000 for 2017. The extension can be worth as much as $1.3 million with incentives, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.

Sturgis beat out Cody Parkey in a training camp kicking competition. Sturgis was a 2013 fifth-round pick of the MIami Dolphins out of the University of Florida.

-- The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin and waived quarterback Stephen Morris.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound Melvin has played in 12 career NFL games (two starts) and totaled 21 tackles, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and two special teams stops with the New England Patriots (2015) and Baltimore Ravens (2014-15). Melvin has also seen action in two postseason contests (two starts) and tallied 18 tackles. In 2015, Melvin saw action in nine games for the Patriots and Ravens, recording four tackles and two special teams stops.

Melvin spent time with the Miami Dolphins during training camp before being waived during final cuts on Sept. 3. He originally signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2013 out of Northern Illinois.

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