Brees to Vikings????

Hope this isn't elsewhere but I looked and didn't find it -- at least not headlined

SEE FINAL PARAGRAPH
From Pro Football Talk -- Only Speculation

John Clayton of ESPN.com reports that the San Diego Chargers have ruled out using either the franchise tag or the transition tag on quarterback Drew Brees. This means that the Chargers either will work out a new deal with their starting quarterback by March 3, or he'll hit the open market.

We'd previously predicted that the Chargers would apply the transition tag in 2006 to the guy who was the team's franchise player in 2005. The biggest difference between the two tags, in theory, is that the transition tag can be removed at any time prior to the start of the regular season. The franchise tender, if signed by the player, becomes fully guaranteed.

And it's widely presumed that Brees would sign the franchise tender immediately, due to uncertainty regarding the condition of his shoulder, which was injured in a meaningless game against the Broncos on December 31. As we've previously reported, there are rumors that coach Marty Schottenheimer went with Brees in a game of no consequence to the team because Schottenheimer would have hauled in a significant incentive payment under his contract if he had guided the team to 10 wins in 2005. After losing to the Broncos, the Chargers finished at 9-7.

But the transition tender might not be an acceptable alternative in Brees' case. Clayton reports that the NFL Management Council recently advised the Chargers that the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement would place the transition tender at 120 percent of his 2005 salary (i.e., $9.7 million) and that a transition tag following a franchise tag might mean that the transition tender, if signed, becomes fully guaranteed.

"It's a gray area,” G.M. A.J. Smith said, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. "Do you test it? Do you want to go to a hearing? Or do you, because it's so cloudy, pass on it?"

Frankly, it's not very gray. If the Chargers were to press this one, they'd lose. Article XX, Section 4(a) of the CBA makes it clear that the transition tender is the equivalent of the ten largest salaries in the prior year at his position or 120 percent of his prior year salary, whichever is greater.

Likewise, Article XX, Section 14 of the CBA states that the transition tender "shall in addition to the 120% Salary also include all other terms of the player’s Prior Year contract, including any guarantees and any provisions providing for incentives or performance bonuses." When Brees accepted the franchise tender in 2005, he ended up with a fully-guaranteed contract. Thus, the transition tender would likewise be required to offer this same guarantee.

The end result here is that no team, as a practical matter, should use the transition tender on a player the year after he wore the franchise tag. Instead, teams should just use the franchise tender again, since the terms are the same under either label, but the team has greater rights when using the franchise tag.

In the Chargers' case, Schottenheimer's decision to go with Brees instead of experience-starved newbie Philip Rivers has put the team in quite a predicament. The organization will have to reach an agreement with Brees without knowing whether he'll be fully recovered from shoulder surgery, or they'll have to see whether he signs with someone who's willing to take a chance that he'll be healthy.

One possible destination for Brees is the Vikings. Former San Diego pro scouting director Fran Foley is the personnel chief in Minnesota now, and if the Vikings part ways with Daunte Culpepper, 37-year-old Brad Johnson could keep the reins as the No. 1 guy until Brees is ready to go.

No thanks really. He didn't exactly have a cannon before, and we all saw what happened to Pennington after shoulder surgery. I'd rather take a young guy and put him behind Johnson, if we trade C-Pep that is.

how bout tradin cpep for jay cutler after he gets drafted? he can learn behind BJ

I'm all for it. Drew's not going to need a cannon for an arm in the WCO. He showed everybody that he is a pro bowl caliber player. I think it'd be a great move by the Vikes.

I wouldnt mind....that is if DC goes somewhere else....

ive always like drew but im a litle scared after him having surgery on his shoulder. how old is he though would he be the future of the vikings or just a temporary fix. i think we should go after philip rivers instead.

O my gosh i would love 4 drew to be in purple and gold because he's showed he can play at a high level in this league. The 1 thing i'm scared of is his shoulder.

I'm all for it.. Drew Brees would be a good pickup for the Vikings. If we trade Pepp we should look at finding another proven QB. I could see us possibly going after Brees, or trading for Phillip Rivers..

We need to find a long term solution at the QB position. Whether it is via FA, Trade, or the Draft we need to do it..

I'd love to have Drew. He's a solid player and I'm not too worried about his shoulder. Chad tried to come back too soon is what screwed his shoulder up, Drew will have plenty of time to recover.

Why trade one wounded QB for another?