Remember when Drew Brees and Matt Cassel were on the same level?

Maybe not on the field, but by contract standards they were very similar. Back in 2006, Brees signed a six-year, $60 million deal. Three years later, Cassel signed a six-year, $63 million deal with the Chiefs.

I have a feeling Cassel's next contract won't be that close to Brees'. The Saints finally locked Brees up today with what's been reported as a five-year, $100 million deal. The guarantees are crazy -- $40 million in true guarantees year one and $55 million if he's on the roster in 2013 (which he will be).

Brees' deal gives me a little hope for Dwayne Bowe and the Chiefs. Earlier this week, it didn't seem like Brees and the Saints would get a deal done with the two sides reportedly as much as $10 million apart in guaranteed money. But, despite all that, they got the deal done.

Bowe's in a similar situation in that, right now, we don't think a longterm deal is gonna happen.

But I'd love to be surprised.