It’s no secret that the relationship between New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is strong. They regularly train together in the offseason and are very familiar with each other’s talents on the field. When asked by Andrew Clay of KATC-TV how he’d feel about the prospect of McCoy signing with the Saints as a free agent, Brees was all smiles.

“He’s a stud, he’s a great player,” Brees grinned. “I mean you’re basically asking me if I would love having a Pro Bowl defensive tackle that I’ve spent the last eight years trying to run around and avoid, not have hit me, join our team. Yeah of course.”

Brees also discussed the possibility of playing with Gerald McCoy who he has trained with for year. @Saints #KATCSportsExtra pic.twitter.com/sthY2x1H6p — Andrew Clay (@AndrewClayTV) May 22, 2019

For his part, McCoy has just as much respect for Brees: “People think once you get to the NFL you lose sight of being a fan of the game,” McCoy said to Taylor Jenkins of Pewter Report. “I think sometimes even the players think, ‘Oh, I can’t be a fan anymore because I’ve got to compete against them,’ or, ‘I’m in the NFL too.’ For me? That’s not the case. I love Drew when we aren’t preparing for him . . . When we’re playing against him I don’t like him, but overall, I never want to see him retire.”

The Saints would have to get creative with their salary cap accounting to work out a contract with McCoy, but that’s nothing new. They were listed as a potential suitor for McCoy’s services by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who first reported McCoy’s release. If the Saints think they can bring McCoy into the fold and he can help the team, all the signs are there for them to find success together.