In theory, yes, you could spread things out. But it doesn't seem like Brees has shown any desire or willingness to restructure his contract to help his current team, and they have one of the worst cap situations in the league.
Somebody needs to explain how trading for Brees would turn out any differently than trading for Brett Favre did in 2008. The Jets were absolutely loaded with talent in 2008 and just missing a QB and we still got screwed in the end. Brees would be coming onto a team with less talent and with less ability to handle the northeast than Favre had and we'd probably go 8-8 at best and then be really screwed in 2017.
It could simply be that Brees is refusing to take a pay cut because he's trying to force a trade. He may be willing, even happy, to restructure with another team in order to take one more run at another ring. If, in fact, ownership is setting the team up to be sold, a lower payroll and more future draft picks might make the franchise more appealing to a potential buyer.
Brees is better than Favre and Brees wouldn't be coming here a month before the season starts. I am not saying get him but the situations are not the same.
Plus Favre had no interest in being in New York. He knew he was going to be one-year and done with the Jets. Brees might be willing to restructure with another team in order to make a 2 to 3-year run. Right now, the Jets are a 2 to 3-year team. You want to make a serious championship run while you still have Revis, Richardson and Mo under contract. An older, championship caliber QB makes perfect sense for the Jets.
I am not comparing a potential Brees situation to Favre but... You may be forgetting that Favre tore his shoulder late in the year. The severity of the injury was never disclosed, and Mangini let him play through it. He couldn't put any mustard on his passes late in the year. The team was like 6-2 or 7-2 (?) at one point. Who knows, but if Favre hadn't gotten hurt, I think it's reasonable to argue the could have made a playoff run. Once Rex and Tann. drafted Sancho, they released Favre from his contract for nothing even though he hadn't officially retired. Favre then went on to have one of the best seasons of his career in Minnesota and nearly got that team to a SB until they got knocked out by Greg Williams' bountygate D. Rex's biggest mistake was not trying harder (if he tried at all) to talk Brett out of semi-retirement. The Jets owned his rights and simply cut him loose for nothing.
Favre sucked before he hurt his arm(not shoulder), his arm was fine enough to play so no excuses. He failed here b/c he had no interest in playing here and we allowed a better QB for us to be released and watched that QB win a div title w/ far less talent. Favre had a great year in Minny b/c a)he wanted to be there and b)knew the offense.
you are leaving out the dozens and dozens of rookie coaches that failed to win even 5 games. of course their are outliers. the problem is, if we made the trade, just making the playoffs isnt good enough. going 9-7 or 10-6 isnt good enough. you cant trade 2 firsts, cripple yourself, and not get to a superbowl. not only would you have fallen short, but now when brees is done you'd have no picks to get that next QB in and you wouldnt have had draft picks to help fill those other holes. No, actually their arent tons. there are in fact tons of instances the other way. rookie head coaches have a .417 winning percentage in their first season on average(http://www.pro-football-reference.com/blog/?p=92) for every harbaugh there is a bill lazor. how exactly did Bill o'brien do in his first year? Mark Tresman? Romeo Crennell? Mike Pettine? Josh Mcdaniels? Gus Bradley?
None of those guys required giving up firsts/multiple picks to get via trade. if brees was cut id sign him in a second. trading a first round pick for him would be an enormous blunder. We are coming off a 4-12 season. thats not exactly the time to go all in on a 36 year old QB.
I couldnt disagree more. We are just now rebuilding. we are coming off a 4-12 season. we have the #6 pick. Mo/sheldon are both young players. now is the time to get younger, not throw away the cap space and draft picks we were patient enough to get to have a 3 year win now windows where we wouldnt even be close to the SB favorites and might still not make the playoffs depending on how things shook out. Brady is what, 36 or 37? lets restock this team with young players, so that when brady is retired or on his last legs those guys are coming into their own.
I think it would probably be a second rounder, like Favre was. Imagine if the Jets picked Mariota at 6 and then traded their second rounder for Drew Brees. We could have a Favre-Rodgers situation. Let Mariota learn for 3 years behind a hall of famer, then take the reigns. Brees rides into the sunset with another ring. Mariota takes over just as Brady retires. We dominate the division for the next decade. Make it happen, Macc.
If I am Sean Payton I am really on board with a full rebuild...It basically guarantees you another 3-4 years on the job. Something most head coaches like to have during bad times
My concern about Brees is the cold weather thing. It's an issue. Cap space is another, although someone said it is about $8mil below the $27mil being quoted by some. Still it's a big number.
I'd rather draft mariotta, have him learn under fitzpatrick, and then use that second rounder to fill one of our other many holes. If brees is cut go sign him. if the saints will part with him for a 4th rounder then sure. otherwise im not giving up assets like that. id be able to swallow a second much more then a first, but id still pass. to give up a pick in the top 3 rounds id have to be convinced we would win 11 games and at least 1 playoff game. im not convinced of either