Will Drew Brees Retire or Return to the Saints?
Without a doubt, Drew Brees is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He's won Super Bowls and MVPs...in his 20 NFL seasons, there's not much the Saints legend hasn't accomplished. The one thing Drew hasn't done is announce a decision for the 2021 season. While speculation would suggest that Brees will retire, Drew himself hasn't made any public statement about his future plans since Tampa Bay eliminated the Saints from the playoffs on January 17th.
While retirement/return decisions do occasionally go on longer for some players, this is unusually long for Drew Brees. For comparison, in 2020 Brees announced on February 18th that he would return for at least one more season. Other legendary Quarterbacks like Brett Farve and Peyton Manning have made their announcements in January or February.
And, again, outside of being spotted tell Jameis Winston on the sidelines that this was Winston's team now, there's been no indication from Brees one way or the other. However, the time for Brees to make a decision has to be done soon.
The new NFL season officially begins on March 17th. Which means the Saints kind of need to know where they stand when it comes to cap room and which players they need to replace. If Brees drags this out too long, it may put the Saints in a tough position when it comes to money and pursuing his replacement.
However, since Brees did restructure his contract earlier in the off-season, I have a theory. My thought is that Brees has already told the front office he plans to walk away from the game. But, March 14th is the 15th anniversary of Brees signing with New Orleans. So, my thought is that Brees is waiting to that date before holding his press conference. The Saints know what's happening, it'll take place before the official start of the 2021 season and with COVID restrictions relaxing, it will give Drew the chance to get a fond farewell in front of the public.
But, that's just a theory. Outside of a handful of family and friends, I don't think anyone truly knows what Brees is going to do. What I do know is that we should expect an announcement soon one way or the other because the clock is ticking when it comes to free agency, cap space and draft strategy.