New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was looking to do some big things in 2019. But that will have to wait as he has to have surgery on his injured thumb. The All-Pro quarterback had thumb surgery on Wednesday and is expected to miss six weeks of action. However, before the procedure, he took to Instagram to send a message for his wife, who is celebrating her birthday.
“Heading into surgery with this beautiful gal by my side. This is what she gets to do on her birthday today! I love you, Brittany. More and more every day,” Brees wrote in the caption.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The good news for Brees is he won’t have to miss at least eight weeks because the team is not placing him on Injured Reserve. Had the Saints done that, Brees would not have been eligible to come back until mid-November.
“Saints coach Sean Payton tells reporters today that he does not plan to place QB Drew Brees on Injured Reserve, which sounds like good news. It indicates NO believes Brees can be back within 8 weeks. 6 weeks was the initial estimate,” Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network wrote on Twitter.
The injury occurred this past Sunday when the Saints were in Los Angeles to face the Rams. Early in the game, Brees attempted a pass and his thumb hit the helmet of Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald who is also the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Brees was forced to leave the game and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater took over. The Saints ended up losing to the Rams 27-9.
Injuries haven’t been a problem for Brees before the thumb, missing only one start due to injury back in 2015. He joined the Saints in 2006 after spending his first five seasons with the San Diego Chargers and he helped the team win the Super Bowl in 2009. He will go down as one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, recording over 70,000 passing yards and over 520 passing touchdowns. If everything goes well, the earliest Brees could return in Week 10 when the Saints host the Atlanta Falcons.
Brees got a first and second opinion before deciding to have surgery and it looks like it was the right move. And with Bridgewater having experience as a starter with the Minnesota Vikings, the Saints should be fine at the QB position.
