With a wide gap separating the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees in contract negotiations, the team reportedly has taken to characterizing its quarterback in reserved terms.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who has led the negotiations, recently called Brees "very good" in response to the quarterback being called "great," three league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Brees, who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in the 2009 season, threw for an NFL-record 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns in 2011 and was voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Brees has grown frustrated with the state of negotiations with the Saints and likely will have the team's franchise tag used on him, NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora reported. Teams have until March 5 to use the tag.
The franchise-tag figure for quarterbacks is expected to be about $14.4 million, which could prove problematic for the Saints. Wide receiver Marques Colston and guard Carl Nicks also are scheduled to become free agents March 13, and using the franchise tag on Brees would limit the Saints' ability to bring back those two key players.
