Saints’ Drew Brees announces return to NFL for 2020 season

Saints quarterback Drew Brees will return to the NFL in 2020, but it opens plenty of other questions for the team’s quarterback room.

Drew Brees is back.

The 41-year-old quarterback will return for the 2020 season. In an Instagram post, Brees said “I look forward to the grind and the journey, for the reward at the end will be worth it!!! Love you #WhoDatNation. Let’s make another run at it!”

Brees is set to become a free agent next month, but his announcement indicates he plans to stay with the New Orleans Saints. Brees has been with the team for nearly 15 years, winning a Super Bowl in 2009. They finished the 2019 season 13-3 but were handed a surprise loss in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Brees has a long list of accomplishments in his career. Most notably, the most career regular-season passing touchdowns, most career passing yards and the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

Despite missing five games in the 2019 season with a thumb injury, Brees shows no signs of slowing down. He has been the league leader in completion percentage the last three seasons and finished 2019 with nearly 3,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns.

Brees will likely be looking at a short-term contract to stay with New Orleans. Brees’ contract demands will inevitably be impacted by other deals around the league, but it doesn’t appear he will be shopping around for other teams. Don’t be surprised if he compromises to stay in New Orleans.

With Brees deciding to play, it opens a number of other questions, particularly what will New Orleans do with restricted free agent Taysom Hill. The Saints could tender Hill and work him the offense in 2020 with him being the replacement for Brees as early as 2021.

Teddy Bridgewater is also scheduled to be a free agent but is expected to test the market and be a starter elsewhere.