albertbreer Albert Breer
Can confirm that Stephen Burbank has ruled in favor of Drew Brees' in QB's franchise tag grievance. So 2013 would count as third tag.
8 minutes ago Reply Retweet Favorite 5

adbrandt Andrew Brandt
Now, if Brees plays out Tag this yr and next, would make $40M instead of $36M. Sets a data point for dormant negotiations on new deal.
4 minutes ago Reply Retweet Favorite 5

wwltvsports WWL-TV Sports
This should all but clear the way for the #Saints and Brees to come together on a long-term deal. In NO best interest to do it now.
5 minutes ago Reply Retweet Favorite 5

So, get this Brees-Saints contract going for the good of New Orleans and the Saints.

From ProFootballtalk.com:

ESPN'a Chris Mortensen reported Tuesday that Arbitrator Stephen Burbank ruled in favor of Drew Brees and the NFLPA. that his 2005 franchise tag by the Chargers applied as one of the three allowed under the collective bargaining agreement.

That means that Brees' current tag would be considered his second, and if tagged again next year by the Saints, his salary would be 144 per cent of this year's number..

That would mean a one-year deal worth around $23.5 million in 2013.

The Saints argues unsuccessfully that the CBA gave them the right to tag Brees three times. With this ruling, there's much more leverage for Brees nrgptiating a longterm deal.

Also, From Profootballtalk.com

Let me get this straight. Drew Brees is being "punished"—by reportedly being offered a contract that would make him the highest-paid player in NFL history?

Give me a sizable break.

Look, this is a contract negotiation, no more, no less. Everything else is just noise.Brees has said he won't sit out the season. The Saints are totally screwed without him.

A deal will get done.

Payton Place

Sean Payton's 2012 isn't getting any better.

Payton is getting divorced. He filed for divorce from his wife. Beth, citing "discord or conflict of personalities between Petitioner and Respondent that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship and prevents any reasonable expectation of reconciliation." Beth filed a counter petition asking for "exclusive right to designate the primary residence of the children in Tarrant County, Tex."

Beth is also asking for exclusive right to make decisions about the medical legal and educational interests of the couple's two children, and she requested that the coach pay child support. Sean's salary with the Saints is $7 million a year.

The Draft

The Saints signed two more draft picks on Monday. Fifth-round pick Corey White. cornerback, and seventh-round offensive tackle Marcel Jones are the two signers. Financial terms of the four-year deals were not disclosed. However, as the 162nd over-all pick, White is scheduled to earn $2.276 million with a signing bonus of $176,500. The 5-foot-11, 204-pound White played safety at Samford, but he has above-average speed and recorded a 37-1/2-inch vertical jump at the Scouting Combine, so the Saints are moving White to cornerback. Jones' four-year contract has a projected value of $2.148 million with a signing bonus of $48,600. The 6-foot-6. 320-pound Jones battled injuries during his career at Nebraska. Primarily a right tackle. Jones will add depth behind Jeron Bushrod, Charles Brown anmd swing tackle Zach Strief. White and Jones are the second and third members of the Saints' five-player draft class to sign contracts. Last week, the Saints signed third-round pick defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, leaving fourth-round pick Nick Toon and sixth-round selection Andrew Tiller as the two remaining unsigned picks.

Bounty Talk

Former Saints defensive assistant coach  Mike Cerullo has been on the fringe of the bounty system investigation, but now Saints suspended linebacker Jon Vilms has brought Cerullo front and center into the middle of the investigation.

Vilma has said Cerullo is the "whistle-blower" on the bounty scandal and was trying to get revenge against the Saints for firing him after the 2009 season. Cerullo believed coaches Sean Payton and Joe Vitt "blackballed" him to keep him from getting another NFL coaching assignment.

Vilma said also that Cerullo wants revenge against interim head coach Vitt and he created the notes that reflected the alleged contributions to the Brett Favre bounty. And those notes show a $5,000 contribution from Vitt. The NFL never accused Vitt of making any contribution to any bounty pool.

How does this effect the bounty case? We'll have to wait and see.

SOME hither, others yon: The Fourth of July is Wednesday, marking 236 years since the adoption of the Delectation of Independence. Coincidentally, that's how long it's been since the Cubs won a World Series. New Saints forward Anthony Davis is attracting a lot of attention from the fantasy hoop players. From ESPN fantasy columnist Brian McKitish: "Davis will be a fantasy favorite. for quite some time for his elite shot-blocking skills. I have him ranked 56th over-all on my Top 150 for 2003, but he will move up higher than that as I think he will. He's a can't miss prospect in the fantasy game as he is in real life."...

The USFL is targeting a March 2013 startup with eight teams. Future announcements expected  include a postponement of the original startup date followed by the disbanding of the league...In case it slipped by you, LSU center Justin Hamilton was drafted by the Heat...Thousands of Thunder fans waited at the airport to greet their losing team returning from the NBA Finals. Being in the middle of Oklahoma, there was absolutely nothing else to do...

Pacman Jones once spent $1 million in a weekend. Michael Vick dropped one-third of that in  one day. Vick's wedding at the Fountainbleau in Miami Beach had a price tag of $300,000 for a day...Celtics coach Doc Rivers on his son Austin entering the NBA as the Hornets' 10th over-aqll draft selection: "This is what he was born for. He didn't grow up wanting to play for Duke. He grew up in an NBA lifestyle, and this is what he wanted to be and he thought he was ready."...Parting thought: "I stayed up all night to see the sun set in the West. Then, it dawned on me."...