Drew Brees retires, dashing hopes of one more season with the Saints

Drew Brees has announced his retirement 15 years to the day that he joined the New Orleans Saints. Brees posted a video on his Instagram of his four kids breaking the news.

Brees retires with the most passing yards (80,358), most completions (7,142), and highest completion percentage (67.6%) of all-time. He also is second all-time in passing touchdowns to Tom Brady with 571. Brees won Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts in 2010.

Coming off a season where Brees missed four games with a series of injuries, the Saints still managed to make the playoffs and advance to the Divisional round. That was where their season ended, after meeting Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. It feels only fitting that the last game that we saw Brees in was a battle with Brady.

There still seemed to be some doubt about whether Brees was going to retire this offseason. Personally, I thought he might want to give it another go, and see what he could accomplish in a fully healthy season. Just a few weeks ago, a video was posted of Drew Brees working out, sparking some speculation that he might be training to come back for another year.

In the end, he decided to hang it up. The Saints now need to figure out their plans for the quarterback position, with Jameis Winston set to test free agency and unproven Taysom Hill as the other option on the roster. It sounds like signing Winston is a top priority, and that the Saints view Winston as their starter of the future.

Whatever comes next for Brees, the timer starts now for what will inevitably be a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction in the 2026 class.