The Choice: Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have fallen heartbreakingly close to post-season success in consecutive years. The Green Bay Packers soared during the season, but bowed out to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. Both teams fell short, but one team responded to their season’s result in a much more effective and promising way.
If this is indeed Drew Brees’ last year, the Saints have set him up for success in every way possible. For the Saints and Brees, this upcoming season may be the most promising yet thanks to their great offseason roster management.
Though the Packers did go out and get a No. 2 wide receiver for the incredibly talented and versatile Devante Adams in Funchess, they largely neglected receiving threats to aid Rodgers. They elected to draft a complementary running back for Aaron Jones in the second, after selecting Love in the first. They then proceeded to wait until later rounds to reinforce their offensive line.
Green Bay, to the chagrin of Packers fans, elected not to draft a wide receiver in a notably-talented group.
Not only did the Saints acquire a legitimate secondary receiving threat, but they upgraded Brees’ protection, retaining Andrus Peat, and drafting another guard, Cesar Ruiz. In addition to re-signing jack-of-all-trades offensive weapon Taysom Hill. The Saints also boast arguably the league’s best tackle duo in Ryan Ramczyk and Terron Armstead.
With those previously mentioned assets, you have to add in one of the NFL’s best receiving threats in Michael Thomas, who has been Brees’ favorite target since he was drafted. Also waiting quietly in the background is breakout candidate Tre’Quan Smith, whom the Saints drafted out of UCF in 2018.
All of that fails to mention that the Saints also boast one of the league’s most weapons in Alvin Kamara. Kamara had a down year last season but has since revealed he played the majority of last season while injured.
Brees is certainly a bit older, and his arm a bit less explosive. Make no mistake, though— he’s poised for a better 2020 than Aaron Rodgers is. Even if it’s simply because the offense around him is matched only by a few teams in the NFL.
