Drew Brees is ‘livid’ about the franchise tag!

Almost everyone I know likes Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints QB.

He's a Purdue guy, so regionally we like to see people from colleges in our area do well, right? Plus he's very likeable and obviously his work ethic and leadership are outstanding and that's something ya gotta respect. But Mr.Brees is not a happy man right now.

Too much NyQuil? Nope.

Drew Brees was hit with the franchise tag by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, despite having made it clear that that's not what he wanted.

Drew Brees is "livid" about being franchise tagged and not receiving a long-term contract, according to WIST-AM in New Orleans. The radio station cites sources in the Brees camp that he will not sign the franchise tag deal. Brees and the Saints have until July 15 to hammer out a long-term deal.

The franchise tag means that Brees will remain a Saint for one year at a pre-determined salary number. In bad news for Brees, the number is calculated differently now than it has been in years past. Last year, a quarterback with the franchise tag made the average of the top five highest-paid players at his position -- in 2011, it was over $16 million. This year, with the new calculations, it's $14.4 million.

I do believe that it's a ridiculous thing for the Saints to do, and I don't understand why they're antagonizing Drew Brees, who is pretty much the franchise savior. But it's also way too early to accuse the Saints of having made any kind of major mistake, either. Only about a million times in NFL history has a player said he was offended by a contract offer and then gone on to sign a long-term deal with the same team that insulted him so harshly.

If Andrew Luck doesn't pan out, I'd be happy to see Drew in a Colts uniform. Maybe then Peyton can play for the Saints like poppa Archie did!