For a guy who wasn’t expected to do much last season, Drew Brees got a nice raise.
San Diego 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.
The 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.
“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,” Chargers GM A.J. Smith said.
At this time last year, Brees was coming off a 4-12 season in which he threw 15 interceptions and 11 touchdown passes, was benched for five games and yanked from two others.
Smith said then the Chargers needed to “upgrade” at quarterback. They acquired Philip Rivers in a draft-day deal with the New York Giants and gave him a $40 million contract.
Should Brees sign the non-exclusive tender soon, the team could release quarterback Doug Flutie.
Titans troubles
Titans safety Tank Williams was arrested early Thursday and charged with driving under the influence after a Nashville police officer saw his car make a rolling stop at a downtown intersection.
Williams, 24, agreed to a blood alcohol test and hit 0.08 percent, the minimum reading under Tennessee law.
Williams was the second Titan arrested this week. On Tuesday, cornerback Samari Rolle surrendered to police on an assault charge. He posted a $1,000 bond and was released.
Extra points
St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz said that next season Marshall Faulk, the NFL MVP in 2000, will be a change-of-pace running back behind Steven Jackson. Martz suggested that Faulk’s best value to the team might be as a receiving threat. . . . Steve McNair reportedly is willing to restructure his contract to help the Titans, $27 million over the salary cap, though the 10-year veteran remains undecided about retiring. Tennessee could lower McNair’s $7.5 million salary for 2005 to the NFL minimum of $765,000
