Drew Brees will have a grievance hearing June 27 in Philadelphia over his claim that the value of a possible future franchise tag should be higher than what the New Orleans Saints believe he should receive, a source with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.
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The hearing will be heard by arbitrator Stephen Burbank.
The need for clarity stems from supposed vague language in the collective bargaining agreement, which could be interpreted in such a way that Brees would only be due the 120 percent bump in 2013 because that would be the second time he would have been franchised by the Saints. But Brees and the union contend that because he would have been franchised three times total, he should get a 144 percent bump.
The Saints and Brees have yet to reach agreement on a long-term contract, but the team has said such a deal should get done -- the deadline is July 16. That could render any decision in this grievance hearing moot, at least for Brees. The ruling could clear things up for other players who might face similar situations in the future.
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