Drew Brees officially retires after 20-year NFL career

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Drew Brees has officially retired. Brees made the announcement on Sunday with a very cute Instagram video featuring his four kids.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CMaeCtwhtes

“After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football,” Brees worte in his post. “Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback. Til the very end, I exhausted myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans. We shared some amazing moments together, many of which are emblazoned in our hearts and minds and will forever be a part of us. You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories. My goal for the last 15 years was striving to give to you everything you had given to me and more.

“I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life‘s work begins!”

Brees is calling it a career after becoming the first man in NFL history to pass the 80,000 passing yard threshold. His 80,358 yards are an NFL record, while his 571 touchdowns are second only to Tom Brady.

He’s won one Super Bowl, and also won Super Bowl MVP honors after completing 32-39 passes for 288 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Super Bowl XLIV.

While it’s unclear what that “new beginning” may be for Brees, we now certainly know that the Saints will be starting a new QB for the first time since 2006. As one of the four teams listed by Russell Wilson’s agent, the Saints now could be more in the mix for a trade with the Seahawks than we previously thought. Ian Rapoport reports that New Orleans and Jameis Winston have been trying to work out a deal to make Winston their next starter, but until that news is official, we can’t rule the Saints out of the free agent market for other quarterbacks either.

Over the last 15 years, Brees has made an unbelievable impact for the Saints on the field. Now we’ll have to wait and see what impact he makes off the field.

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