Two decades in the NFL takes a toll. If Drew Brees had his way, he would have continued playing quarterback for the New Orleans Saints for three more years after his final season ended back in 2020. Brees reflected on his career Thursday when the Saints announced that he had been selected for the team’s Hall of Fame.
Injuries deteriorated Brees’ throwing arm so badly that he doesn’t use it when playing catch with his kids in retirement, instead throwing left-handed. Had his arm held up he would have kept playing until he was 44 years old. He even considered a comeback in 2021.
“Very,” Brees responded when asked how seriously he contemplated returning for another season. “I’ll leave it at that.”
The Saints have missed him. Even when wear and tear limited him at the end of his career, Brees led the Saints to a 9-3 record as their starter in 2020, a season they finished at 12-4. In the three years he’s been gone they’ve finished 9-8 (with Sean Payton at head coach), 7-10 and 9-8 again (after promoting Dennis Allen). No combination of Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Andy Dalton, Ian Book, Derek Carr, or Jake Haener has found the same success. There’s no replacing a Hall of Fame quarterback, but all the Saints can do now is be grateful for the time they had with him.