The Saints have a quarterback problem, with Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on COVID reserve. It prompted the team to turn on the bat signal this week. Unfortunately, Batman is taking a pass on once again throwing passes.
Via Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Saints called Drew Brees about the possibility of emerging from retirement to handle the position. Coach Sean Payton personally called Brees about the opportunity. Brees, per Duncan, gave the idea some serious thought.
Duncan explains that Brees didn’t want to return as a backup, but as the starter. Which makes sense. Why pull the plug on a budding media career to hold a clipboard? Given his knowledge of the offense, he mentally could have done it.
Physically, that would have been a different story. Brees explained in July that it’s not something that is easily reacquired, after calling it quits.
“I better get my butt going if that’s the case,” Brees told Mike Tirico, subbing for Peter King in the Football Morning in America spot, regarding a possible unretirement in 2021. “There is a saying that if you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s the truth, my arm is killing me because I haven’t been training to throw. I actually feel worse now than at any other point in my career. I may have one throw, one series, one drive.”
In late October, after Saints starter Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury, Brees said he wasn’t returning.
And he isn’t returning. That will make the Saints’ chances at returning to the playoffs a little slimmer, however. On Monday night, it’ll be Ian Book backed up by Blake Bortles, against a Miami team that has won six games in a row.
