Drew Brees (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees recently made an unfortunate admission about his health that has football fans feeling sorrow.

It’s been three years since Drew Brees announced his retirement following an illustrious playing career that spanned 20 years (2001 to 2020). The Super Bowl 44-winning quarterback retired in 2021 as the all-time leader in passing yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571), though Tom Brady shattered both those records before his 2023 retirement.

On Thursday, Brees stated that he “probably would’ve played another three years” if it weren’t for a right shoulder/arm injury that forced him to retire. He even considered coming out of retirement, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell:

“Honestly, man, if my right arm was still working, I probably would’ve played another three years. My body feels great. My body can play. My right arm can’t. Unfortunately that’s what kind of forced me to step away. And it was time too.”

“At the end of the day, it’s like, how capable…am I to do the job, right? I would’ve run QB draws. I would’ve done whatever. I would’ve done some veer option. We would’ve pulled out all the stops. I was ready. Pull out the high school playbook.”

Brees’ health admission led to plenty of sympathy and crushing reactions from fans on social media:

Incredibly, Drew Brees only missed one game to injury with the Saints from 2006 to 2018. But he missed five games in 2019 after suffering a thumb injury, though the team went 5-0 with Teddy Bridgewater while Brees was sidelined.

Brees missed four games in 2020 with fractured ribs and a right fractured lung. By the time he returned, it was evident that the future Hall of Famer was physically limited and unable to push the ball downfield the way we were accustomed to seeing.

His career ended with a gut-wrenching Divisional Round loss to Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Superdome. In that game, Brees threw three interceptions and had just 134 passing yards on 34 attempts.

Drew Brees Walked Away As An All-Time Great

Brees’ career didn’t end with a Super Bowl victory like other legends in Peyton Manning or John Elway, and it was sad that he had to play his final game in a mostly empty stadium due to COVID-19 restrictions.
But the bitter end doesn’t at all take away Brees’ on-field accomplishments. He single-handedly turned the Saints’ franchise into one of the NFL’s best following the devastating tragedy of Hurricane Katrina and led the organization to its first-ever Super Bowl.