Drew Brees Noncommittal On Playing In 2020: 'I Wanted To Take A Deep Breath And Decompress A Little Bit'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Drew Brees turned 41 years old this month. Not many quarterbacks in history have continued playing in the NFL through age 41. But, well, times are a-changing.
So while it would seem like a no-brainer that Brees would return to the Saints in 2020 after putting up some outstanding numbers last year, the quarterback is not yet committed to remaining in the NFL.
"No, not really," Brees said when asked on ESPN's "NFL Live" if he has a timetable for making a decision on his playing future. "I mean, I wanted to give it at least a few weeks, months, the postseason, just to take a deep breath and decompress a little bit and take some time with the family and then just reassess."
Much like fellow quadragenarian Tom Brady, Brees cited time with his family as the biggest consideration.
"Well the most important thing is time with my family, right?" he said. "So that's why taking that time just to be with them and even talk to them about it, I think that that's something that'll be a shared decision amongst the family."
Brees said he already knows how his sons would vote on that matter.
"I know this. I know my boys love coming to work with Dad when they can," Brees said. "If they had a vote, Dad would play forever."
Brees' status figures to possibly be tied in to Brady, too. With Brady set to become a free agent in March, the Saints would potentially be another possible landing spot if Brees does decide to retire. The Saints could also sign their own free agent-to-be in Teddy Bridgewater, but the allure of Brady in Sean Payton's offense could be enticing for New Orleans to consider.
Specific futures aside, Brady and Brees are also engaged in a neck-and-neck race atop the NFL's statistical leaderboards. Brees is the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns, leading Brady by 2,845 yards and six touchdowns. Brees retiring now would almost certainly cede those titles to Brady.
Despite suffering a thumb injury, Brees played in 11 games for the Saints this season. He led the league with a 74.3 percent completion rate, while averaging 7.9 yards per attempt and throwing 27 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Brees and the Saints were eliminated in the wild-card round by the Vikings.