For 15 years, Drew Brees quarterbacked the New Orleans Saints and will go down as one of the all-time greats. He retired following a disappointing 2020 season and since then, the Saints have had a tough time finding a good enough quarterback to get them back to the playoffs.
Brees is going to be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame this season and spoke to the media following the announcement. One of the things he touched on was the issues he had with his right arm, which he mentioned was the reason he knew it was time to step away from playing the sport he loves.
Brees said that if his right arm had been working properly, he'd have likely continued playing for another three years. That means he'd have just retired this past offseason and the Saints might have still been relevant during that time.
Drew Brees says he could have played 3 more years if his arm hadn't shut down on him
Unfortunately, life isn't always fair, and Brees' arm had taken a toll on his overall performance. He missed an extended period of time in both 2019 and 2020 and as he said, "It was time" for him to step away.
Brees talked about how disappointing it was for his final game to be in front of no fans, as his final year came during the COVID-19 season. The Saints lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in the SuperDome in the divisional round, capping off another disappointing early playoff exit for the Saints.
It didn't feel right for one of the all-time greats to go out that way but as Brees noted, his arm wasn't working properly and that made it difficult for him to play the position. He still retired with one Super Bowl victory under his belt and a slew of accomplishments that Saints fans could have only dreamed of when the team took a chance on him in 2006.
