Former NFL QB Drew Brees Says His ‘Right Arm Does Not Work’

Drew Brees is opening up about the impact football has made on his health. The former NFL quarterback appeared on ESPN Radio’s Greeny last week and revealed that his “right arm doesn’t work” anymore. Brees revealed this nearly three years after announcing his retirement from the NFL. 

“I’ll let you in on a little fact: I don’t throw with my right arm anymore. My right arm does not work. So when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed,” he told host Evan Cohen, per PEOPLE. “I can play pickleball just because it’s below the waist, but anything above my shoulders I’ve got a hard time with.” 

Brees said the issues with his arm began in 2005 when he dislocated his shoulder while playing for the San Diego Chargers. The injury almost injured his career as Brees revealed that it “put me on the fast track to a degenerative shoulder and all kind of arthritic changes.” Brees added that if he could throw with his right arm he would still be playing. 

In May 2022, Brees hinted that he could return to the league. “Despite speculation from media about my future this fall, I’m currently undecided,” Brees wrote on social media at the time. “I may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy, I may train for the pickleball tour, senior golf tour, coach my kids or all of the above. I’ll let you know.”

Brees, 44, will be a Pro Football Hall of Famer once he’s eligible. He was selected to the Pro Bowl 13 times and the All-Pro Team five times. Brees also led the NFL in passing yards seven times and passing touchdowns four times. He was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice, led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl win during the 2009 season and was named Super Bowl MVP. 

“After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football,”  Brees wrote in March 2021.  “Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback. Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans. We shared some amazing moments together, many of which are emblazoned in our hearts and minds and will forever be a part of us. You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories.”