Drew Brees #9 of the New Orleans Saints walks off the field after being defeated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 17, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Chris Graythen/Getty Images/AFP
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees insisted Sunday he’s still deciding if he has played is last NFL season after a painful playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Reports have swirled for a week that the future Hall of Famer would call it a career when the Saints’ season ended, even if that came without a Super Bowl shot.
“I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make a decision,” Brees told reporters after the Saints fell 30-20 to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team led by quarterback Tom Brady at the Superdome in New Orleans.
Although he wasn’t able to take the Saints to the Super Bowl, Brees — who piloted New Orleans to the NFL crown after the 2009 season — said he had no regrets about returning in 2020.
“I would never regret it, never,” said Brees, who turned 42 on Friday. “No complaints, no regrets. I’ve always tried to play this game with great respect and great reverence for it. I appreciate all this game has given to me.”
He said the outcome of Sunday’s game, which included four turnovers by the Saints offense that he acknowledged were the “determining factor” in the contest, wouldn’t be a factor in his decision on retirement.
“This won’t have anything to do with it,” he said.
The 2020 season was Brees’s 20th NFL campaign and his 15th with the Saints. In 12 regular-season games he completed more than 70 percent of his passing attempts for 2,942 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.
He missed four games after suffering multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung in November.
Battling through injury and the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic, made the season even more rewarding,” Brees said.
“It was worth every minute of it,” he said, adding that interpretations of his searching looks at the Superdome crowd as he departed the field as a “last look” were not necessarily accurate.
“I always soak in the moment,” he said.