Drew Brees isn't happy that the Saints will play the 2012 season without coach Sean Payton or with the NFL's investigation into the team's bounty program. The quarterback told Peter King of Sports Illustrated that the Saints believe strongly that they have been wronged by the league. Brees told King there's a difference between paying a player for performing well in a game and paying a bounty for injuring a player, and what the Saints did was the former, not the latter.

Even though he is suspended for the season, Sean Payton is still keeping an eye on the Saints. A massive photo of the coach was unveiled at midfield on the sideline of the team's indoor practice facility on Friday. Payton has been suspended by the NFL as punishment for what the league says was a three-year bounty program. He is not allowed to have any contact with the Saints.

The Saints have agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension with punter Thomas Morstead. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said Morstead's extension is worth $21.9 million over six years. Morstead is now under contract with New Orleans for seven years.

After Jonathan Vilma and seven witnesses testified Thursday that Roger Goodell got his facts wrong in the bounty scandal, a judge decided against making an immediate ruling on whether the suspended Saints' linebacker temporarily could return to work.

Drew Brees is eager to attack the 2012 season with the Saints, who have been saddled with penalties in the wake of the bounty scandal. "I'm excited about the unknown because in a lot of ways, we don't necessarily know what to expect," Brees said. "With all this stuff swirling around us, in the end, all we can worry about is what we can control. ... I know the type of guys we have. I know the coaches we have. I'm excited to watch it all come together."

49ers quarterback Alex Smith has "mixed emotions" about the bounty program that targeted him during last season's NFC playoffs. Before his final game as Saints defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams offered cash to the player who struck Smith in the head. "Every single one of you, before you get off the pile, affect the head. Early, affect the head. Continue, touch and hit the head," an audio recording captured Williams saying. "Never heard a speech like it before," Smith told ESPN's Ed Werder. "As a QB, I expect defenses to go after me. I expect it in the confines of the rules, no question, but if a guy's got an open hit on me, I plan for them to give me everything they've got. I have mixed emotions. As a QB, I feel like every defense is out to get me. I think a lot of QBs feel the same way. We all just want to play within the rules."

Drew Brees has officially signed his five-year, $100 million contract with the Saints and the quarterback admitted relief afterwards. "It's been a little surreal just because of the process throughout the offseason, and just how challenging an offseason it's been for everyone, obviously everyone within the Saints organization, this city," Brees said. "It's just been a crazy offseason and I think we're all just ready to get back to work and excited that it's all starting here in a week. It's hard to believe."

Drew Brees has officially signed his five-year, $100 million contract with the Saints. The contract includes $60 million in guaranteed money and a $37 million signing bonus. Brees will earn $40 million in the first year of the contract, and the $20 million yearly average salary makes it the NFL's richest.

It's obvious that Drew Brees will make an average annual salary of $20 million over the life of his five-year, $100 million deal with the Saints. However, New Orleans structured the deal to give themselves $6 million more in cap space than if Brees had simply signed his franchise tender. Brees receives a $37 million signing bonus, which is spread over the life of the contract ($7.4 million each year). The quarterback's base salary in 2012 will be just $3 million. He'll make $10 million (2013), $11 million (2014), $19 million (2015) and $20 million (2016) total over the final four years of the deal. With the prorated signing bonus, Brees will carry the following cap hits: 2012 - $10.4 million 2013 - $17.4 million 2014 - $18.4 million 2015 - $26.4 million 2016 - $27.4 million

After agreeing to a five-year, $100 million deal with the Saints on Friday, Drew Brees said that he feels like a kid. "Here I am, I'm going into my 12th season, I'm 33 years old, and yet I feel like a kid," Brees told WWL radio. "I feel like I could do this for another 20 years. And I always want to have that passion for the game and that emotion."