Drew Brees may be finished
Sunday night’s NFC Divisional Round game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints pitted two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the sport against each other in a crucial winner-take-all affair. Tom Brady’s Buccaneers may have lost to the Saints twice during the regular season, but when it really mattered Tampa Bay prevailed at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to punch their ticket to the NFC Championship game. They are now just one win away from reaching the Super Bowl.
New Orleans on the other hand, has to sit and watch as the playoffs conclude without them. They will be looking ahead to next season, but there are plenty of questions as to who will be leading them in 2021. 42-year-old Drew Brees contemplated retiring after the 2019 campaign, but opted to return to New Orleans for a 15th season with the franchise. He was drafted in 2001 by the San Diego Chargers, but has been with the Saints since 2006.
“I’m gonna give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make a decision,” Brees said when asked in the postgame press conference if has played his last game in the NFL, via Sportsnet.
Brees was forced to miss four games over the past season due to a punctured lung and 11 broken ribs. Despite the injuries though and falling short of reaching the Super Bowl, Brees claims he has no regrets about his decision to come back and play the 2020 season.
“No complaints. No regrets. Man, I’ve always tried to play this game with great respect and a great reverence for it. And I appreciate all that this game has given to me,” said Brees, who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl win in franchise history in 2009 and holds the NFL record for career passing yards.
“There are obviously so many incredible memories, so many incredible relationships that have come as a result of playing this game. And, man, you find out so much about yourself and you have to fight through so much when you play this game.
“And I’d say this season, I probably had to fight through more than I’ve ever had to in any other season in my career – from injury to all the COVID stuff to just crazy circumstances. And it was worth every moment of it. Absolutely.”
While Saints’ fans will be heartbroken with Sunday night’s loss at home, they have plenty to be optimistic about after a pretty stellar campaign that saw them go 12-4 during the regular season and win the NFC South. Whether Brees returns or not next season remains to be seen, but it is a subject the team does not want to talk about until later in the offseason.
“Oh, listen, I think that’s probably for another press conference,” said Saint’s head coach Sean Payton when asked about Brees’ future. “That would take up all of my time on your question tonight. Obviously, he’s been tremendous for this team, this city; I could go on and on. But let’s wait and answer that at the right time.”
