The matchup for Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans will be finalized on Sunday after the AFC and NFC Championship Games.
The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs will play for the AFC title and the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders will play for the NFC crown.
They should both be outstanding games and former NFL quarterback Drew Brees is ready to sit back and watch them. We caught up with Brees to discuss his thoughts on both matchups, what it means for the Super Bowl to be coming back to New Orleans, his partnership with Bounty, and so much more.
The Spun: Can you tell us a bit more about your partnership with Bounty?
Drew Brees: So, this is a lot of fun. When you get a call from Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) asking to be your Wingman, you just gotta say yes to something like that. Gronk's been the face of the Bounty campaign for the last couple of years. There's no better guy to lead the campaign than Gronk but bottom line is this: You can't have football without wings and you can't have wings without Bounty. As we know going into Super Bowl season, it's all about the wings, baby. I've got some right here and I'm about to dive in but especially as we think about the Super Bowl in New Orleans, get-togethers, great food, great times, and great memories. You know there's going to be some messes and that's where Bounty comes into play. That's what this Wingman campaign is all about.
The Spun: What's it like seeing the Super Bowl come back to New Orleans for the 2024 season?
Brees: It's awesome. This is the 11th time it's happened, the most in history. There's no better place to host the biggest event in sports than in New Orleans. The city is going to be wild, it's going to be crazy, and it's going to be fun. The atmosphere is second to none. The thing that makes New Orleans so unique when it comes to throwing parties and big events and festivals is you have such close proximity to downtown, the French Quarter, the central business district, the warehouse district, you got the dome right there, the Mississippi River winding through, it's such a beautiful setting. Everything is walkable. There's just an energy that is created when you have everything in just that close proximity. It's so convenient for people, too.
Obviously, it's New Orleans' opportunity to share our hospitality and I think more and more people have a chance to come and experience that. The more they appreciate what New Orleans is all about, it's the sense of community and culture. Even just venturing 5-10 minutes outside of downtown, you really get to experience a lot of that New Orleans energy and vibe. New Orleans loves to host, they love to play host to the biggest events in the world, especially the Super Bowl and this will be no different.
The Spun: Who are you picking to represent the AFC and NFC in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans?
Brees: I don't know. I don't think we could've asked for better matchups. On the AFC side, I think we all expected that Kansas City would be there and it was just a matter of whether Baltimore or Buffalo would be there. That was a heck of a game last week coming down to the last play in the two-point conversion. But, here's Buffalo, the only team that beat KC this year (with its starters playing). Josh Allen and that team and franchise kinda proverbially trying to get over the hump and get past the bully. Here's Kansas City, who has been the model of professionalism and an incredible organization, and finding ways to win, going for their third Super Bowl title in a row which would be unprecedented.
On the other side, you got this NFC East battle that just happens to be in the NFC Championship Game, Eagles-Commanders with this young quarterback in Jayden Daniels, who I love watching. I love watching their offense, love watching him perform. He's mature beyond his years they have a great thing going there. They're hot right now. Look, I can see it happening in any number of different ways. Pick a matchup and I think any of them would be great.
The Spun: If you had a say, who would you be going after for the New Orleans Saints head-coaching job?
Brees: Look, I think we have some great options and we'll let that process play out. I think, at the end of the day, it was unfortunate that we had so many injuries this year. We were decimated at the skill positions on offense and had a lot of injuries up front too with the offensive line. It felt like a ton of the burden fell on the defense, which still has a ton of great core pieces and really played at a high level.
It was just unfortunate that we lost so many guys throughout the year to injury. It was kinda just a tough year all in all and then here you are in the offseason trying to find a head coach but I think as you look at the team, you look at a team that has a great core still on the defensive side of the ball, has a quarterback in Derek Carr who battled injury this year but when he was healthy, showed signs.
You watch the first two games of the year with this new Klint Kubiak offense, you felt like it fit him really well and the offense was extremely explosive. When healthy, they were playing as well as anybody. So, when you start to look at that, it gets you excited about what the possibilities are. Now, it's just a matter of how you maintain the core and how you continue to add pieces to the puzzle. Schematically, what's the direction you want to go? And then, how do you create the standards and the accountability structure that allows you to go and be really successful?
The Spun: What are the Saints' biggest needs this offseason?
Brees: You're always looking for depth at every position. You always want to be in a position where you can dominate in the trenches. You're always looking at offensive line and defensive line for ways that, whether it's an impact player or whether it's a way to shore up and make sure that you got depth in the event of injuries. Every team faces it and it's just a matter of where can you plug in, where can you make adjustments, or move guys around in order to fit the scheme and be able to win a couple of games if you are shorthanded.
You're always looking at that, really first and foremost, and then, is there an impact player on offense that you don't have currently? Is there a guy on the backend in the secondary or a pass rusher? I think those are always guys that you are looking at that could be difference-makers.
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Brees spent 20 seasons in the NFL and is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever. He helped the New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts and finished his career with 80,358 yards through the air, 571 touchdowns, and 243 interceptions.
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