METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints should pay Drew Brees.

I realize that's easier said than done -- and I don't blame the Saints for being hesitant.

Brees is 37 years old. His best years are behind him, not ahead. And the price tag will be exorbitant -- maybe close to $25 million per year. Toughest of all, Brees will probably require enough guaranteed money to pay him through his age-39 or age-40 season.

That's not an easy choice for any team to make -- especially one that has been spinning its wheels at 7-9 for the past two years while stretching the salary cap to its limits.

But it's still the right choice for the Saints.

Because Brees still gives them a chance to win if they can manage to clean up the other problem areas on their roster -- whether that is this year or next year or when he is 39 or 40 and still capable of playing like a top-10 NFL quarterback.

Think they should reboot? Finish 3-13 one year, get a top-five draft pick and start over with a new quarterback? Maybe.

But who's to say they'll land the right quarterback?

Have you noticed how much desperate teams are willing to pay to find a serviceable QB even when they have a great defense in place? (See: Houston Texans/Brock Osweiler; Los Angeles Rams/Jared Goff; Minnesota Vikings/Sam Bradford; and other examples).

The Saints don't need to be in any rush to add quarterback problems to the ones they already have on defense and the offensive line.

I understand why the hordes of fans -- and Saints executives -- would love to see Brees take a hometown discount as Tom Brady has done multiple times with the New England Patriots.

But remember, that's the exception, not the norm.

Brees became the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history four years ago at $20 million per year. But that has practically become chump change for NFL quarterbacks with the salary cap skyrocketing in recent seasons.

Brees' $20 million average salary has been surpassed 11 times over the past four years -- twice by Joe Flacco. Even Brady made more than $20 million per year in his most recent contract extension.

Maybe it sounds absurd to pay nearly $25 million for Brees. But does that sound more absurd than paying Flacco $22.1 million? Or Osweiler $18 million? Or paying Bradford $17.5 million per year as the Philadelphia Eagles did? Or trading a first-round pick for Bradford as the Vikings did?

The Saints will have to make that franchise-altering decision by the end of this week (Brees' self-imposed deadline for reaching a contract extension). Or else they'll risk losing him on the open market next year, since the franchise tag is no longer an affordable option.

Actually, "risk" might not be the right word choice. It's quite possible that the Saints will decide to move on, especially if they don't show signs of progress this season and decide a total reboot is what's best for the franchise.

But I say they shouldn't be in any rush to explore that great quarterback abyss that has swallowed up so many other NFL teams, their own franchise included.

This is the Saints' 50th year of existence, and they have lucked into exactly one Hall of Fame quarterback in those 50 years.

Who knows when the next one will come along?