Quarterback Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season. But due to issues with his arm, the retirement could have possibly happened after the most recent NFL season.
“Honestly, man, if my right arm still worked, I probably would have played another three yearsBrees said Thursday regarding the news that he is joining the Saints Hall of Fame, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. ‘My body feels great. My body can play, my right arm cannot. Unfortunately, that forced me to distance myself. And it was about time.”
Brees said he seriously considered retiring, but his arm wouldn’t allow it. And the arm problem can be traced back to the shoulder injury he suffered in the final week of the 2005 season, his final game with the Chargers.
“At the end of the day, it’s about how capable… am I of doing the job, right?” said Brees. “I would have done QB draws, I would have done whatever. I would have done some option. We would have pulled out all the stops. I was ready. Get out the high school playbook. “
Although the operation ultimately ended his career in early 2006, he was still able to play at a high level for a long time.
The surgery was successful enough to extend Brees’ playing career by 15 years, but he said Dr. James Andrews warned him that the shoulder would eventually degenerate to the point where throwing would no longer be possible.
“He said you’re on your way to a degenerative shoulder,” Brees said of his conversations with Dr. James Andrews. “And so this will catch up with you at some point. All that wear and tear and all the work that’s been done. .. . . Unfortunately, at some point there will be exhaustion. I held on as long as I could.”
He lasted long enough to carve out a Hall of Fame career, which is amazing considering the fact that after the injury he believed he might be done.
“I really thought my career was over,” Brees said. “After five years I really thought I might never play again… There came a point after the operation where I could have taken out the insurance policy… Here I faced a career-ending injury and as I never played again, I was able to collect the insurance policy. And it was a good insurance policy.
Saints fans will be forever grateful to Brees given what he has done for the team, the city and the entire state. It is truly an amazing story of determination and perseverance from a man who picked himself back from an injury that could have easily derailed his career before it ever fully blossomed.
