It was a bit of an awkward breakup between the San Diego Chargers and for Chargers quarterback Drew Brees, who is now with the New Orleans Saints, 10 years ago.
In 2004, the Chargers traded for Philip Rivers with Brees still on the roster. Brees played as the starting quarterback for the Chargers for two more seasons. In the final game of the 2005 season, Brees tore his labrum, requiring surgery in 2006. Prior to the injury, Brees was in the midst of a Pro Bowl season.
The next season, Brees was due for a new contract. San Diego offered Brees a five-year, $50 million contract that was heavily laced with incentives. Brees took the contract as a sign that the Chargers had no faith in him, opted for free agency and signed with the Saints.
The Saints visit San Diego this Sunday, and it will be the first time Brees has played in San Diego since Dec. 31, 2005.
“I’m trying to make this just like any other game,” Brees said, according to ESPN. “It’s hard to do that, obviously, because it’s meaningful. I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that this one may not mean a little bit more. But my preparation remains the same.”
Brees stressed that he isn’t bitter.
Brees was told that there was a great chance that he would never play in the NFL again following his labrum surgery. The Saints were the only team that really gave him an option to start. That’s what he wanted to prove, that he was capable of becoming a starting quarterback, not that San Diego was wrong for not believing in him.
“It had nothing to do with them at that point,” Brees said. “It was just, this is a significant injury, I’m being told by some doctors I’ve got a 25 percent chance of coming back and playing. So that’s – you feel like your dream is being ripped away from you. That was the part that was really scary. That was where the motivation came from.
“I realized that, ’They expect me to come back and be a backup. And that’s not who I am. I’m going to go be a starting quarterback and win a championship somewhere. And if it’s not there, it’s not there,’” Brees continued. “And it probably didn’t set in until I signed with the Saints, and it was, ‘All right, this is happening. I didn’t think it would happen, but it’s happening. And move on.’”
Since Brees left San Diego, he has thrown for 49,617 yards and 356 touchdowns. Brees’ 61,965 passing yards is the third-largest mark in NFL history, and his 436 passing touchdowns is the third most in the NFL as well.
• Tommy Chalk can be reached at tchalk@washingtontimes.com.
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