Early reports indicated that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will miss six weeks of action due to a ligament tear in his thumb. However, it looks like the Super Bowl-winning quarterback is doing everything he can to get back on the field as soon as possible. Saints head coach Sean Payton spoke to the media on Monday and he gave an update on Brees’ injury. He said the Saints QB will get a second opinion on his injured thumb.
He’s had one opinion, he’s getting a second opinion,” Payton said via Pro Football Talk.
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The injury occurred on Sunday afternoon when the Saints were facing the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. In the first quarter, Brees attempted as pass and his thumb slammed into Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Brees had to leave the game and backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater took over, and the Saints ended up losing the game 27-9.
Brees is considered one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. Sporting News ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks before the season and Brees came in at No. 4 only behind Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.
“Brees was right there with Mahomes and Brady in the MVP conversation last season, and he is one of those legends many will grow to appreciate more years down the road when they look back on how prolific he was,” Vinnie Iyer of Sporting News wrote. “Now at 40, Brees in a couple years could even become known as a better age-defier than Brady is now.”
Brees has been very durable during his time with the Saints, missing only one start due to injury back in 2015. One of the options the Saints have with their star quarterback is placing him on injured reserve and he would miss up to eight weeks. Or the Saints could simply keep him on the active roster and see if can return in a month and a half. If everything goes well, the earliest Brees could return in Week 11 when the Saints host the Atlanta Falcons.
If Brees has to miss six weeks, Bridgewater will be the Saints starting QB and he has experience in that role. He was the starter for the Minnesota Vikings in 2014 and 2015 and he had an overall record on 17-11 record.
