Chargers put franchise tag on star quarterback

SAN DIEGO -- For a guy who wasn't expected to do much last season, Drew Brees sure got a nice raise.\nThe San Diego Chargers used their franchise tag Thursday on Brees and will offer him a one-year contract at just more than $8 million. The quarterback made $1.56 million in base pay last season, when he led the Chargers out of the NFL's basement to the AFC West title at 12-4.\nThe Chargers needed to put the tag on Brees, the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year, to keep him from leaving as an unrestricted free agent.\n"Franchising him is a no-brainer, because if we didn't, we wouldn't get any compensation and he wouldn't be here. He'd be going to the airport," general manager A.J. Smith said. "We want him to be our quarterback. I mean, a little bit over $8 million for one year, for a quarterback, I think, tells you clearly what we think of his abilities and his talent. We want him to be our quarterback."\nBrees rebounded from a nightmarish 2003 season to lead the Chargers to their first playoff berth in nine seasons. He also was voted to the Pro Bowl.\nBrees, who quarterbacked at Purdue, has said he wants a long-term deal from the Chargers, but Smith said the team currently is not interested in offering one.\nBrees, on vacation in Australia with his wife, said in a statement issued by the team that he was happy to remain in San Diego.\n"We've built a solid foundation and I feel we can really make a run. I'm excited about being a part of that," Brees said.\nHis salary for 2005 is the average of the top five salaried quarterbacks from last season.\nThe Chargers could trade Brees, but a team interested in him would want to negotiate a long-term contract before finalizing a deal.\nBrees was tagged as a non-exclusive franchise player, meaning he can still negotiate with other teams. Should Brees receive an offer from another team, the Chargers can either match it or receive two first-round choices from that club as compensation for losing Brees.\nSmith said he made it clear to Brees' agent, Tom Condon, that the Chargers will insist on two No. 1 picks.\n"If any offer comes, sometimes it's flexible where you can work with an agent and have a less thing," Smith said. "We're not looking to move Drew Brees anywhere. We're expecting him to be our quarterback."\nCondon didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment.\nAt this time last year, Brees was coming off a 4-12 season in which he threw 15 interceptions and just 11 touchdown passes, was benched for five straight games and yanked from two others.\nSmith said then the Chargers needed to "upgrade" at quarterback. They got Philip Rivers in a draft-day deal with the New York Giants and gave him a $40 million contract.\nBut Rivers missed half of training camp in a holdout, Brees kept the starting job and threw 27 touchdown passes and just seven interceptions. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes, and his 104.8 rating was a 37.3 point improvement over the previous year.\nThe Chargers have freed up about $21 million in salary cap space for next season, which would allow them to fit in both Brees and Rivers, who is due about $3 million in base pay.\nSmith said that while Brees will be listed as the first-stringer, coach Marty Schottenheimer has a philosophy of open competition in training camp.\n"So the best man's going to go out there, and coach Schottenheimer will decide who plays and who doesn't, and who starts," Smith said. "Best players play. Last year's over with, folks. Players are going to have to meet the challenge again. Things can change."\nSmith did say he was impressed with Brees' response to the challenge last offseason.\n"He's a hard worker, great work ethic, intangibles, plus-plus. The guy's one of the greatest competitors that I've been around, and I really mean that," Smith said.