The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... As of Thursday, the Saints and Brees remain roughly $5 million a year apart on a new contract.
Diehards Line:As Yahoo's Jason Cole notes, the Saints are making moves to free up salary-cap money, such as a guaranteed deal for defensive end Will Smith that should free at least $5 million. That move will put the Saints at roughly $19 million under the salary cap, assuming the cap remains close to $120 million. The Saints have a bevy of other moves they can make for more cap room. Regardless, if a deal with Brees isn’t done by Monday, the team will have to use the franchise tag on him. ... Stay tuned.