Drew Brees is about to become a free agent in March and there’s no telling if he will be back with the New Orleans Saints this fall. There are several factors that come into play, but the Saints have made it clear they want Brees back next season. Team general manager Mickey Loomis spoke to reporters this week and said they want Brees with the Saints as long as he wants to keep playing.
“No different than it’s been the last few years,” he said via Pro Football Talk.
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Brees, who turned 41 last week, showed he still has the ability to play at a high level. In 11 games this past season, Brees completed 74.3 percent of his passes, which was the NFL‘s best total of the year. He also threw for 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns and four interceptions.
“It’s easy to take him for granted. Yet, I don’t take him for granted,” Loomis added. “Look, if any of us are surprised at what he does, then we’re just not very smart.
The Saints finished the 2019 regular season with a 13-3 record but lost to the Minnesota Vikings in the wild-card round of the playoffs. After the game, Brees was asked about his future in the NFL.
“I’m not making any comments on that, other than I’ve told you guys this over the last couple of years, I’ve always just taken it one year at a time and kind of re-evaluate each offseason and find the things I want to get better at and move on,” he said.
Here’s the issue the Saints have — all three of their quarterback are free agents. That should make it easy to re-sign Brees, right? The thing is, Teddy Bridgwater and Taysom Hill are younger and they were also big contributors to the Saints’ success this past season. In fact, Bridgewater, went 5-0 when Brees was out with an injured thumb. His numbers for the 2019 season were 1,384 passing yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions.
However, what Brees has done for the Saints can’t be ignored. He joined the team in 2006 and he led them to a Super Bowl win in 2009. He’s the NFL’s all-time passing yards and passing touchdowns leader and he’s been named the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011.
