Saints Andrus Peat Deal Proves They'll Do Whatever it Takes to Protect Drew Brees

Many New Orleans Saints fans were resigned to the alleged fact that standout guard Andrus Peat was going to leave in free agency given the franchise's tight financial situation.

Luckily, Mickey Loomis always seems to find a way to retain the Saints' best players, and he's done so again with Peat. The son of former Raiders guard Todd Peat, Andrus re-signed with New Orleans on a five-year, $57 million contract, ensuring that he'll continue his ascension to the top of the NFL's guard rankings in New Orleans.

Peat, a former first-round pick out of Stanford, struggled during his rookie year, where he played mostly as a left tackle. His career changed for the better after moving inside to guard, as he has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last two seasons.

Peat's average annual salary in this deal would make him the fifth-highest-paid guard in all of football.

Drew Brees is far from a mobile quarterback at this stage of his career, so New Orleans needs to put a premium on their offensive line. With second-year star Erik McCoy, and right guard Larry Warford all returning, the Saints will once again have one of the best offensive lines in all of football next season.