Twenty years ago, Drew Brees would not be worth $14.4 million. Brees would never have been able to break Dan Marino’s single season record for passing yards.
But in today’s NFL, the New Orleans Saints feel that Brees is worth that sum of money, as showcased by the franchise tag they placed on the two-time NFC MVP. Their embellishment is due in large part to the rules the NFL has implemented to encourage extraordinary offensive play.
Brees has become a terrific player through his uncanny ability to beat the odds. He has a history of injuries, ranging from a torn ACL to a torn labrum in his right throwing shoulder. He is undersized at 6 feet and 209 pounds, but that has not prevented Brees from emerging as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The six-time Pro Bowler delivered the New Orleans Saints their first Super Bowl ever in 2009. During that season, Brees’ completion percentage was 70.6 percent, yet somehow he managed to top that this year with a 71.2 percent completion percentage. Still going strong at 33 years old, Brees’ best football is still ahead of him.
Brees has been able to roll with the changes by not only evolving into an elite passer, but by meeting the demand the NFL now holds for the contemporary quarterback in order to win Super Bowls.
The NFL has implemented a plethora of rules for the benefit of offensive play. It began in 1996 (when the highest paid quarterback was Troy Aikman at $6.25 million per year) with the five-yard contact rule between wide receivers and cornerbacks. The 2005 banishment of the “horse-collar” tackle added to the progress.
Beginning in the 2010 season, the NFL really started cracking down on helmet-to-helmet hits, issuing penalties and either suspending or fining players depending on the severity of the hit. The rule has improved player safety to help prevent concussions, but this defense-targeting rule has only further aided NFL offenses.
NFL referees have also become more protective of quarterbacks in their strict enforcement of roughing the passer penalties and of shots below the knees.
What these rule changes mean with regard to Drew Brees is this: there is _no way_ a quarterback with such a slight stature who turns the ball over as much as he does (36 interceptions over the past two seasons) would be able to survive the brutal style of football that was prominent just one generation ago.
That age was one in which Brees’ market value would not be nearly as high. Is it any wonder Brees was a second-round pick back in 2001?
Football used to emphasize controlling time of possession, boasting a stud running back and winning turnover differential. The quarterback position was more like a game manager, when quarterbacks like Trent Dilfer or Brad Johnson could win a Super Bowl.
The league now requires a team’s signal caller to be its most dynamic playmaker. Three players threw for more than 5,000 yards this season, an accomplishment only four players in the history of the league have to their name.
The Super Bowl provides perhaps the easiest look at quarterback value, as the last nine champions featured a star behind center: Giants (twice), Steelers (twice), Patriots (twice), Packers, Saints and Colts.
Gone are the days where a quarterback can survive as a game manager due to how the league has undergone such great but seemingly subtle change. _That_ is why Drew Brees is $14 million richer.