This will likely be Drew Brees’ last chance at a second Super Bowl ring.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “everybody expects” Brees will retire from the NFL after the season.
“They thought that last year and he surprised them in March by deciding to come back,” Schefter said on ESPN’s “Sunday NFL Countdown.” “This time, he’s got a signed contract with NBC. This time, he’s another year older. This time, he’s played through the 11 fractured ribs, the punctured lung. It’s been a difficult, physical season and I think most people still believe that this will be the final season for Drew Brees in New Orleans and in the NFL before he turns to the broadcast booth.”
Brees, 41, still has another year left on his contract, but as Schefter mentioned, it has been a physically grueling year for the veteran quarterback and his TV contract with NBC is already in place for whenever he decides to retire.
There has also been some concern that Brees, while still performing at a high level, is not quite the same quarterback he once was – lacking the arm strength he had in the prime of his career.
The Saints entered Sunday as the No. 2 seed in the NFC and needed a win and a Packers loss to clinch a bye and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.
If Brees is indeed planning to retire at the end of the season, this will be his final chance to win a second Super Bowl.
The Saints have been eliminated at home the last two seasons, with Brees underperforming in last season’s surprising first-round loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
If Brees does retire, he will finish his career as the all-time passing leader (entering Sunday about 352 yards ahead of Tom Brady) and second on the all-time passing touchdowns list, trailing Brady.
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