Saints: Drew Brees’ workout casts doubt on retirement

A Drew Brees workout video brings to question whether he still plans to retire.

When the season came to a close down in the Bayou, Drew Brees seemed to be ready to hang it up. His time in the NFL was long-lived and his new chapter of life was about to begin.

The New Orleans Saints were eliminated in the NFC playoffs over a month ago, yet Brees has still to announce his retirement. The 41-year-old quarterback has one year remaining on his two-year extension and could be looking to rejoin the team for the 2021 season.

This all seems like a far-fetched idea looking back at how he played in the final game of 2020. However, a recent workout video shows that Brees is keeping his body in shape rather than enjoying life as a retired NFL star.

Now the question is, will Brees be returning to New Orleans after all?

Is Brees actually ready for another season?

From a winning standpoint, Brees still has the ability to be a middle-tier starter in the NFL. He finished 9-3 under center in 2020 for the Saints, helping them claim the NFC South title over Tom Brady. However, one look at a stat line proves that he has regressed over the past two seasons.

Brees threw for 2,942 yards and 24 touchdowns against six interceptions when active for New Orleans. He also missed five games due to multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung suffered during a game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Taysom Hill would fill his void, leading New Orleans to a 3-1 record while throwing for 928 yards and four touchdowns. Some believe Sean Payton thinks that he can be the starter in 2021 if the offense is built around him to be successful.

That likely won’t end well.

New Orleans needs to begin to prepare for life in the post-Brees era. They can’t so long as he remains under contract and believes his body can still play at a high-end level. In the NFC Divisional Round, he finished with a QBR of 39.6 and threw three interceptions.

At some point, the game comes for all of who played it. For Brees, his kiss goodbye to the fans of New Orleans was a bittersweet, yet understandable curtain call.

Instead, now fans will wonder if his workout is a hint that he will be returning next season, thus perhaps leaving New Orleans in a confusing spot.

You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. That could be where Brees is headed.