Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees fired back Sunday after the New York Post reported that he was leaving NBC “after just one season as a studio and game analyst.”
The Post cited sources who said the Brees was not the match the network had hoped for with regard to the “Football Night in America” studio show, and said that Brees might be considered for a move to another network.
But Brees made it clear that he hadn’t nailed anything down just yet, tweeting, “Despite speculation from [the] media about my future this fall, I’m currently undecided. I may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy, I may train for the pickleball tour, senior golf tour, coach my kids or all of the above. I’ll let you know.”
Despite speculation from media about my future this fall, I’m currently undecided. I may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy, I may train for the pickleball tour, senior golf tour, coach my kids or all of the above. I’ll let you know
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) May 15, 2022
If Brees does actually return to the game, he could potentially take back some of the records he held when he retired — at the time, he was the all-time leader in passing touchdowns (571) and passing yards (80,358). Those records were broken during the 2021 season by Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, who announced his retirement only to walk it back a short time later.
According to Fox News, the Saints have already tried to lure Brees out of retirement once: “He was mentioned as a possible replacement as the Saints quarterback when Jameis Winston went down with a torn ACL last season. The Saints reached out to Brees at the time last year, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. He would shut the idea down in the middle of the season.”
Brees said that he reached out to Winston after his injury although he did not choose to come out of retirement. “I haven’t had a chance to speak with him, but I’ve reached out to him a few times, just to give him my support. And obviously hated to see him have that injury, especially I know how hard he’s worked to prepare himself to go play and lead that team. And he was doing such a great job, so yeah, I just feel for him,” he told Pop Culture last November.
He did say that he does miss elements of the game, adding, “There’s elements I miss about playing. I miss the locker room, I miss the preparation, I miss game day, I miss the exciting wins and the two-minute drives and some of that stuff.”