With LaDainian Tomlinson on the market, the man who broke into the NFL with L.T. in 2001 has made his feelings known on a possible reunion.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees wants Tomlinson to come to New Orleans.
“I would love to get LT in the black and gold,” Brees said Tuesday on his Twitter page. “Crazier things have happened.”
He’s right. But implicit in Brees’ wishes is a loud and clear message to the three-headed monster that handled the ball-carrying duties for the team in 2009: “One of you has gotta go.”
That means that Reggie Bush or Pierre Thomas or Mike Bell would be bounced. Both Thomas and Bell will be restricted free agents; of the two, the Saints are more likely to keep Pierre.
Then there’s the possibility that the Saints could swap out Tomlinson for Bush. The move would save the team plenty of money, since Bush is due to earn $8 million in base salary this year. The fact that the Saints are willing to let safety Darren Sharper test the free-agent market shows that the franchise plans to make decisions for 2009 based on football -- and not based on keeping together the team that won the Super Bowl for an extended victory lap.
Still, it’s one thing to let Sharper leave; it’s another to affirmatively dump “Jesus in Cleats.”
Regardless, if Brees gets his wish, Bush, Bell, or Thomas will be getting bad news.