updated 9:34 p.m. ET March 14, 2006

NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Saints decided to take their chances with Drew Brees’ health rather than Matt Leinart’s potential.

The Saints and Brees agreed to a six-year deal Tuesday as the Miami Dolphins, who also had been courting Brees, traded instead for Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper.

Barring unforeseen complications with Brees’ shoulder rehabilitation, the Saints now have a proven replacement at quarterback for Aaron Brooks. The move means New Orleans likely will forgo using its No. 2 overall draft pick on Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner. The Texans are expected to take Leinart’s USC teammate, running back Reggie Bush, No. 1.

Now, the Saints can dangle that draft choice in front of teams longing for a chance to draft Leinart, or maybe Texas quarterback Vince Young, who rallied the Longhorns to a Rose Bowl victory over Leinart’s USC Trojans for the national championship.

Brees, who turned 27 in January and has played his entire five-year career for San Diego, injured his throwing shoulder in the final game of the 2005 season. He underwent surgery and said last weekend he will take four or five months to be ready.

That could account for the terms of the contract, which guarantees money only in the first year. The deal calls for the Saints to pay Brees about $60 million over the life of the contract, including a $10 million bonus up front and a $12 million option in the second year.

“Drew was sufficiently impressed with the organization and the head coach in New Orleans,” said Brees’ agent, Tom Condon, referring to new Saints coach Sean Payton. “New Orleans was also very comfortable with the risk-reward, based on his rehabilitation from the injury, and Miami didn’t have that same level of comfort, so New Orleans made a lot of sense for us.”

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis met briefly with reporters at the Saints’ suburban training facility Tuesday evening, but declined to take questions, saying he preferred to wait until a news conference scheduled Wednesday with Brees and Payton.

“I’m just here to confirm we have an agreement in principle with Drew to become a New Orleans Saint,” Loomis said. “We’re real excited about that.”

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Brooks is expected to be released by New Orleans after his worst season since taking over as the Saints starter after Jeff Blake’s injury during the 2000 season. Loomis said last week that the Saints were ready to “move on” at quarterback and that Brooks would likely be playing elsewhere next season.

Now that they have a new starting quarterback, the Saints can use their high draft position as leverage in filling other needs. New Orleans has lost top center LeCharles Bentley, defensive end Darren Howard, linebacker Sedrick Hodge and cornerback Fakhir Brown to free agency.

Loomis declined to discuss the rationale behind the structure of Brees’ new contract or how it may affect the Saints’ draft plans.

Brees has thrown for more than 3,000 yards in three of the past four seasons. He led the Chargers to a playoff appearance in 2004.

The 32nd overall pick in the 2001 draft, Brees struggled in his first few seasons, leading the Chargers to trade Eli Manning to the New York Giants for quarterback Philip Rivers on the day of the 2004 draft.

But Rivers spent the past two seasons on the bench as Brees flourished, winning 20 games with the Chargers.

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