The Saints’ decision to bring back Marques Colston does more than provide some much-needed goodwill in New Orleans. It also dangles a carrot in front of quarterback Drew Brees.

New Orleans slapped the franchise tag on their star quarterback, but the two sides are attempting to hammer out a long-term deal to keep Brees with the Saints for good. You never want to franchise an All-Pro quarterback, and the move has turned the situation messy.

The timing makes this touchy as well. Brees is tagged a year after he was part of a lawsuit against the league, a time when he was fighting to limit the reach of franchise tags from two years to one.

Brees is now staring at a franchise tag less than other quarterbacks in the league that aren’t near his level.

It’s a fragile time in the relationship, and that makes the Colston signing important. The Saints needed something to sell their fans … and Brees.

Follow Jason La Canfora on Twitter @JasonLaCanfora.

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