Saints Still Among Top 5 Super Bowl 55 Contenders with Drew Brees’ Retirement Decision Coming

• Following another playoff letdown, the New Orleans Saints are getting +1500 odds to win Super Bowl 55
• The Saints opened 2019 averaging around +1000 odds and mostly stayed in that range all year
• The highest their odds got was +2000 after a Week 2 Drew Brees injury. What will happen if the face of the franchise calls it quits this offseason?

After the way the last three seasons have ended, the New Orleans Saints are runaway favorites for most heartbreaking playoff loss in 2021. But they’re also among the top five favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, according to the Super Bowl 2021 odds.

The Saints are getting this love despite the fact that Drew Brees’ future with the team is still uncertain. Are they worth backing this early or will they offer more value down the line?

Super Bowl 55 Odds

Odds from Feb. 2.

Who Dat Under Center?

It didn’t feel like this would be Drew Brees’ final season. After returning from a hand injury in Week 8, he looked nearly flawless, becoming the league’s all-time passing TD leader and running the Saints to a 13-3 record. But after getting upset by the Vikings at home in a game where he wasn’t even the best QB on New Orleans, it’s starting to feel like Brees might be too old to make the Super Bowl grind one last time.

The Drew Brees retirement possibility isn't an attention grab or leverage play; he's seriously considering calling it quits https://t.co/UVEx93coIw

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) January 28, 2020

If #9 does hang them up, the Saints odds will take a hit. But it shouldn’t be too much of a shock, considering the team was a perfect 5-0 under Teddy Bridgewater. They also looked pretty sharp when Taysom Hill took snaps under center. Too bad both of those guys need a new contract too, sparking some rather interesting options in New Orleans.

The Saints reportedly want to use next season to transition from Drew Brees to Taysom Hill, with Hill becoming the starting QB in 2021. How do you think Hill will do as the starter?

— David James (@DavidDJJames) January 29, 2020

With the league’s best wide receiver in Michael Thomas, a versatile weapon like Alvin Kamara, a strong offensive line, and Sean Payton calling the shots, this is a system that a lot of quarterbacks could thrive in. And how New Orleans’ QB situation shakes out could end up impacting the talent pool available to other teams in need of a new man under center, like the Chargers, Bears and perhaps even the Patriots.

Can New Orleans Finally Get Over the Hump?

The Saints’ offensive prowess is well known, but they’ve also had a solid defense the last three years, ranking in the top 12 in DVOA. However, they’re going to have some tough cap decisions looming this offseason, especially in the secondary where Eli Apple, P.J. Williams and Vonn Bell are all free agents.

Meanwhile, expensive late-season add Janoris Jenkins could be let go to create more space that will likely be needed to extend guys like Kamara and Marshon Lattimore.

2020 NFL Cap Space:
1. Colts
2. Dolphins
3. Bills
4. Bucs (No QB on roster)
5. Cowboys (No QB on roster)
———————–
27. Saints (No QB on roster)
28. Bears
29. Falcons
30. Steelers
31. Jaguars
32. Vikingshttps://t.co/FUMQ01EI5i pic.twitter.com/NHCinxNfTM

— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) January 21, 2020

Offseasons like this are a big reason why it’s difficult to make it back to the Super Bowl. And that’s the saddest thing about this Saints team: they haven’t even reached that mark once. How many more times can they conceivably get off the mat after getting kicked in the proverbial playoff teeth?

The Play

There’s no downside to waiting for Brees’ decision here. Either their odds get longer and the new-look Saints become a nice value, or New Orleans stays in this range. Considering how they’ve torn bettors’ hearts out over the last few years, I don’t see why there’s any rush to get bets down on the Bayou.