Drew Brees has yet to officially announce that he is retiring from the NFL, and fans are starting to wonder if he has intentionally left the door open to play next season. As of now, there is no reason to think that is the case.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network confidently stated on Monday that Brees will not be playing football in 2021. He said the 42-year-old may be stalling with his formal announcement because walking away from the game is so difficult for him.
From NFL Now: While #Saints QB Drew Brees comes to grips with his looming retirement, worth noting that regardless of when he makes his announcement, Brees would go on the reserve/retired list after June 1 for cap reasons. pic.twitter.com/zE7ae3oEn0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2021
“My understanding of the situation is he wants to do it when he is ready to deal with it and admit to it,” Rapoport said. “He’s played football his entire life. He’s always been a football player. It’s hard for someone to come to grips with the fact that they are retiring. He just wants to make sure that when he announces it he is fully at peace with it. That’s what’s going on. He is not going to play quarterback for the Saints next year.”
Rapoport also noted that Brees reduced his salary to $1 million recently to give the Saints more salary cap space this offseason. He didn’t restructure his contract in a way that would leave the door open for him to play next season.
A recent workout video featuring Brees (see it here) led to speculation that the quarterback might be having second thoughts, but it seems like a good time for him to walk away given how he played down the stretch last season.
