Eli Manning may have recently called it a career, but fellow veteran quarterback Drew Brees doesn’t have a big announcement of his own looming.
After Saturday’s Pro Bowl practice, the New Orleans Saints quarterback said that he’s waiting until the football season “is totally done” before making a decision whether to retire from the NFL or return for his 20th season.
“Obviously being here, I’m just very much focused on my family and this opportunity to be be around the guys, playing the game,” Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
“Then, I’ll kind of lay low for a little bit, get away and then assess. I kind of have a process in mind. And I’ll give it a month or so.”
Brees, 41, will become a free agent in March but has made no indication he wants to leave New Orleans, unlike another one of his peers, Tom Brady, who has displayed nominal interest in playing elsewhere. Brees told the newspaper he will “always be a Saint.”
If Brees retires, the Saints shouldn’t need to go shopping for a replacement, thanks to having Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill on the roster. Bridgewater filled in for Brees when he injured the thumb on his throwing hand early in the 2019 season; New Orleans went 5-0 in the games Bridgewater started.
Hill, meanwhile, has carved out a unique role as a gadget player who has lined up at tight end and kick returner in addition to occasional passing plays.
Brees, Brady and 38-year-old Philip Rivers are still contemplating their NFL futures. Manning, 39, retired last week.
• Adam Zielonka can be reached at azielonka@washingtontimes.com.
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