Remember when there were rumours that Drew Brees will come out of retirement during the 2021 NFL season to preserve the New Orleans Saints’ season?
It turned out the rumours were real, and Brees seriously pondered returning.
Brees resigned from the NFL after the 2020 season, but he was tempted to return midway through the next season.
Jameis Winston began the 2021 season as the starting quarterback, but after only seven games, he tore his ACL and MCL. The Saints believed they had a very talented team, so they tried to bring out the best, including asking Brees if he would consider returning.
Brees admitted that the temptation to return to New Orleans was strong.
“Very,” Brees responded when questioned about his previous interest in a comeback attempt, according to Nick Underhill. “I’ll just leave it at that.”
The biggest fear for Brees was how his surgically repaired throwing shoulder would react to playing in the NFL again. Brees was aware that it would be difficult, but he was willing to go to any length to help the team win, even if it meant returning to his high school playbook.
“At the end of the day, it’s like, how capable … am I to do the job, right?” Brees asked reporters via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “I would have ran QB draws and done whatever. I would have chosen a different alternative. We would have pulled all the stops. I was ready. “Take out the high school playbook.”
Brees ultimately elected not to return, but there is always the curiosity of what may have happened if not for his surgically repaired shoulder.
The Saints concluded the 2021 season with a 9-8 record, although they did not make the playoffs. Weeks 9-13 were particularly difficult for them, as they lost five consecutive games. Trevor Sieman was the major fill-in quarterback, throwing for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions.
If Brees had been healthy, there is little doubt that he could have performed better. Brees ended up retiring and worked for NBC for a year before being let go. Brees did lead the Saints to the promised land, winning the championship in 2009.
With the Super Bowl victory, he established his place as one of the best players in franchise history.
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