Drew Brees says he and Sean Payton will return to the New Orleans Saints in 2016.

"No, I don't," he said when asked if he can see a scenario in which he leaves the franchise. "I think we -- a plan was put in place throughout last offseason as to how we were going to build a foundation by which to make a run at it in the future. That includes some new faces, that includes some young players that, I think, will all have a chance to come together and kind of build a team that can make a run at it in the future.

"Unfortunately, we had high expectations going into this year and we fell a bit short. But I'm confident with the character, the leadership, the talent we have."

Ian Rapoport noted that Brees and Payton could both be elsewhere next season. Brees could be a victim of his massive, $30 million cap hit in 2016 and sources close to Payton note that he has his eye on potential landing spots should a change go down.