When Drew Brees suited up for the Divisional Round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he did so amid swirling reports about his potential retirement. NFL on FOX insider Jay Glazer said that the veteran would walk away for good at the end of the season. However, Brees has not yet confirmed the news.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, GM Mickey Loomis said that the Saints have not heard from Brees despite being nearly two weeks removed from the loss. However, Loomis did acknowledge that this situation is nothing new for the team. “I don’t think it’s a lot different from last year. We’ll wait for him,” Loomis explained. The GM also said that there are other issues to focus on after seeing the season come to an end earlier than hoped.
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“We’ve got a lot of other planning to do,” he added. “There’s more unknowns right now than there are knowns, in the sense that we don’t yet know what the cap’s going to be next year. Even a narrow range we don’t have yet. So we’ve got a lot of planning to do, we haven’t completed our roster evaluations from last season, so at this point in time, there’s more unknowns than there are knowns.”
Brees missed four games of the 2020 season after suffering several fractured ribs and a punctured lung. He returned in time for a Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and then led the Saints back into the playoffs. Brees threw two touchdowns against the Bears during the Wild Card victory but struggled against the Buccaneers with three interceptions.
Following the loss, the 13-time Pro Bowler stopped and took one look back at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The fans and analysts viewed this as an acknowledgment that Brees would not return to the team. However, he shied away from any definitive statements during his media availability.
“Well, I’ll answer this question one time, and that is that I’m going to 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 told reporters. He continued and explained that he has “no regrets” about coming back for 2020 to make another run at a Super Bowl.
If Brees ultimately retires, he will walk away from the NFL as the all-time leader in passing yards with 80,358. However, Tom Brady sits just behind him with 79,204. Brees is also second in NFL history with 571 passing touchdowns, just behind Brady (581).
