Brees told NFL Network's Jane Slater that he'll re-sign with the Saints unless he decides to retire. "At this stage of my career, it's not a given that I'm coming back every year," Brees said. "But when that time comes, I'll always be a Saint."

EDGE Analysis

Brees doesn't sound like a man on the verge of retirement, though a second Super Bowl ring might have pushed him in that direction. As is, the Saints are coming off an opening-round playoff loss to the underdog Vikings, sitting in good position to bring back most of the key pieces from a 13-3 team. Overthecap.com has the Saints projected for $11.8 million of cap space, but the number shoots up to $30.9 million if they cut CB Janoris Jenkins and LB Kiko Alonso. On the offensive side, Brees is joined by WR Ted Ginn, LG Andrus Peat and FB Zach Line with expiring contracts.