It was only one year ago when we predicted Drew Brees would retire, yet he didn’t, instead having his prestigious NFL career end on a sour note.
His most recent campaign was a career-worst, as he couldn’t get any velocity behind his throws, which caused him to rely simply on short and intermediate throws over the middle of the field. It didn’t take long for defenses to adjust, as they sat on the underneath routes, and it equated to only 7.5 yards per pass attempt. Successful quarterbacks keep opposing defenses guessing by using the entire field, yet Brees forced the Saints to do the opposite.
The Bucs sure seemed to figure Brees out in the Divisional Playoffs, forcing three interceptions, which proved to be the difference in the game. That poor performance ended up being Brees’ final NFL action, as he recently announced his decision to retire. Many were wondering why he felt now was the time to do so, so he elaborated on the process involved in making his decision.
“At the end of the day, the factors that go into this are, I’ve always said as long as I can play the game at a high level; I’m having fun doing it; and I’m able to stay healthy, then this is something I’ll do forever,” Brees said, via Pro Football Talk. “Obviously, I’ve had some injuries the last two years that have been frustrating. Both of them kind of freak things. I don’t think they were injuries that were saying I was getting old. But nonetheless, I had the thumb that ruled me out five games two years ago, and then had the ribs and the lung that holds me out for four games this past year.
“Could I keep playing? Yeah, I’m sure I could. But I’m also looking at my kids, my family, the age of my kids, and just gauging all of those things. There’s a balance there. I also just felt like I would just feel it. I would feel when it was time. I felt that it was time.”
Brees also revealed that he’ll be joining NBC Sports as an analyst — a role he should excel in. We can’t wait to see him breaking down games on TV, and wish him the best in the next phase of his career.
