With the Saints revamping seemingly their entire team this offseason, speculation ran rampant that New Orleans could trade quarterback Drew Brees and move into full rebuilding-mode.
General manager Mickey Loomis emphatically shot down those rumors Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting.
"Anybody who thinks we're trading Drew Brees, that's just not true," Loomis told USA TODAY Sports' Jim Corbett.
Brees, 36, isn't coming off his best season, but still completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 4,952 yards in 2014.
Loomis traded Pro Bowl tight endJimmy Graham and young receiver Kenny Stills, while re-signing running back Mark Ingram and adding shifty C.J. Spiller to the backfield. Those moves indicate coach Sean Payton will emphasize a burgeoning ground game over a high-flying aerial attack in 2015.
The Saints still want Brees running the show and aren't going to start over with a young quarterback.
Loomis also took issue with the perception that the Saints' salary cap is a mess necessitating many of the moves.
"We're not in cap jail," Loomis said. "That's a myth since it's always a year to year deal."
The Saints started roughly $23 million over the threshold before moves put them slightly under the $143.2 million cap.
It's not a surprise for Loomis to defend his cap management, just as it wasn't a surprise when he said he wanted to bolster a disappointing defense after a 7-9 season.
Whatever moves Loomis has left in the draft -- as well the veterans left on the free agency scrap heap -- he'll do it knowing Brees will be his quarterback in 2015.
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