Saints QB Drew Brees confident he, Sean Payton will return next season

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has no doubt that both he and head coach Sean Payton will be with the team when the 2016 season starts.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has no doubt that both he and head coach Sean Payton will be with the team when the 2016 season starts.

Appearing on the NFL HQ show on NFL Network Tuesday, Brees said that he could not imagine a situation in which the two will not be retained by the team.

“No, I don’t,” he said. "I think...a plan was put in place throughout last off-season as to how we were going to build a foundation by which to make a run at it in the future. That includes some new faces, that includes some young players that, I think, will all have a chance to come together and kind of build a team that can make a run at it in the future.

“Unfortunately, we had high expectations going into this year and we fell a bit short. But I’m confident with the character, the leadership, the talent we have.”

The Saints (6–9) have struggled this season. They are already eliminated from the playoffs and are guaranteed to finish with a losing record for the second straight season.

Brees is owed around $20 million in salary next season, and his $30 million hit on the salary cap is the highest in the NFL. The Saints have 41 players under contract for next season and are already projected to exceed the $150 million cap.

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Brees has completed 67.7% of his passes this season, tallying 4,547 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.