Will Drew Brees Return To The NFL? Ex-Saints Quarterback Unlikely To Play Again

Drew Brees made headlines Sunday by tweeting that he might play football again. The chances that the former New Orleans Saints quarterback will actually return to the NFL, though, appear to be rather slim.

Brees’ tweet was in response to a New York Post report that claimed the future Hall of Famer won’t return to NBC as an analyst for the 2022 NFL season. Brees said he is undecided about his plans for this fall.

"I think it was a comment made in jest, and we certainly haven't had any conversations in that regard," Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Monday when asked if he took Brees’ tweet seriously.

After retiring from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2020 season, Brees made the immediate transition to the broadcast booth. The 43-year-old was a commentator during Notre Dame games last season, in addition to his role on NBC’s pregame show for “Sunday Night Football.” Brees was in the booth for the wild-card playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders.

While NBC and Brees are parting ways, there’s a chance that Brees could become an analyst for another network, according to the Post.

New Orleans hasn’t been able to adequately replace Brees since his retirement. Jameis Winston entered 2021 as the Saints’ starter after spending a year as Brees’ backup, but the quarterback was limited to just seven games because of a torn ACL.

The Saints started four different quarterbacks last season. Winston is in line to be New Orleans’ starter for the 2022 season.

The Saints reportedly tried to get Brees out of retirement last year when Winston was sidelined, but Brees chose to stay off the field. New Orleans missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“There is a saying that if you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s the truth, my arm is killing me because I haven’t been training to throw,” Brees said on "Football Morning in America" in July. “I actually feel worse now than at any other point in my career. I may have one throw, one series, one drive.”

While still a productive quarterback at the end of his career, Brees was no longer the Pro-Bowl-caliber player that he was for most of his time in a Saints’ uniform. In his final NFL season, Brees completed 70.5% of his passes for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Brees was the No. 32 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.