Latest On Drew Brees

According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, Saints QB Drew Brees is seriously considering retirement this offseason. 

The 41-year-old quarterback said at last weekend’s Pro Bowl that he will take the next month to mull over the decision. While Brees is competitive and the drive to win another Super Bowl has been fueling him since he won his first and only one over ten years ago, he acknowledged the changing balance of family and football. 

“In the beginning of your career, you don’t know what you don’t know, right?” Brees said via the Athletic’s Jeff Duncan. “So the more that you have a chance to be around great coaches and other great players, you begin to learn how to become a pro. And you know what? At some point, you kind of formulate that routine of, all right, now I’ve got it down. Now I’ve got the preparation down, right?

“Well, what people don’t realize is that preparation, as you get older, it’s not like that goes away. It’s not like each week I sit there and go, ‘Oh, man. I’ve started like 300 NFL games. I’ve seen it; I’ve done it. I don’t need to prepare the way I used to.’ No. You’re going through the same process that you always have, the same number of hours watching the film and going through the checklist of things. So, the grind remains mentally, psychologically, the stress of, ‘What if they do this?’ and ‘I’ve got to have a plan for this.’ So you’re still investing that time. Well, oh, by the way, you’re getting older, so you’ve got to spend even more time on your body. And, oh, by the way, your kids are getting older. They’re involved in more things that you want to be a part of — more time.

So at some point, there is a breaking point, right? Where there’s just not enough hours in the day to do all the things that you need to do, and want to do, that fulfills you and balances you out to be able to go and play the game — and play it at the highest level.”

Florio adds the Saints would like to use 2020 as a transitional year from Brees to QB Taysom Hill with the goal of featuring Hill more before he takes over as the starter in 2021. 

Saints GM Mickey Loomis said recently the Saints will be happy to have Brees as long as he wants to play. Brees has said before the two options before him are to play for the Saints or retire, so even though he’s technically a free agent it’s unlikely he plays for another team.

Brees, 41, is a former second-round pick of the Chargers back in 2001. After five years with the Chargers, Brees signed on with the Saints as a free agent in 2006.

Brees has spent the past 12 seasons in New Orleans and played out the final year of his two-year, $50 million contract. He is set to be a free agent in the coming months. 

In 2019, Brees appeared in 11 games for the Saints and completed 74.3 percent of his passes for 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions.

We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2020 Free Agents list.