Saints’ Sean Payton-Drew Brees Era Doesn’t Appear To Be Ending Soon

The New Orleans Saints aren’t letting one of the NFL’s best head coaches leave, and they want their franchise quarterback to stay, too.

Sean Payton and the Saints agreed to a five-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. ESPN’s Ed Werder cited a source in reporting the coach’s deal is worth in excess of $45 million.

Werder also reported Brees and the Saints still are working on a four-year extension, which would give him five more seasons under contract alongside Payton in New Orleans because the quarterback’s current deal has one year left on it.

Payton, 52, has spent the last nine seasons as Saints head coach. He has an 87-57 regular-season record, five 10-win-plus seasons and one Super Bowl title from the 2009 campaign. His playoff record is 6-4.

New Orleans has disappointed in each of the last two seasons, though, finishing with 7-9 records and missing the postseason both times.

Brees, 37, still is one of the league’s best quarterbacks. He threw for 4,870 yards with 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. He has 10 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons, with four 5,000-yard seasons included in that span.

Thumbnail photo via Derick E. Hingle/USA TODAY Sports Images