Drew Brees retiring was not a surprise. For about three straight seasons, the Brees that finished the season was a shell of the guy who started it. Last year that was still true but the guy who started it wasn't too good either. It was clear that Brees was done. His overall stats in the end looked nice, and he would uncork a nice deep pass 1-2 times a game, but from Week 1 onwards it was pretty evident that Payton himself had lost trust in what Brees can do.
In the end, Brees formal retirement just made firm something we all figured was on the horizon. It was basically assumed most of the year, made unofficial in the leadup to the playoffs and then basically guaranteed after his teary-eyed walk out of the Superdome. Brees's retirement though expected is still jarring. Manning's retirement in 2015 started the exodus of all time greats that changed the position wholly, and Brees is the next domino (Rivers as well). In the end, Brees won't hold any career records and one Super Bowl, but to focus on those aspects is not how we should memorialize him.
Drew Brees represents the changing game, taking what Peyton started and putting it into hyperdrive. When Mahomes's career is done it may seem commonplace, but Drew Brees's continual 5,000 yards is just staggering. It was enough so when he first did it in 2008, falling about 40 yards short of Marino's then record. It seemed futuristic. Three years later, he would blow past the old record. He got over 5,000 three more times. Before Brees, having a completion percentage abot 70% was legendary - Brees made that fairly commonplace too, going well above the 70% mark year after year. There truly was nothing like him.
Brees also leaves with one Super Bowl win (and just one appearance) and no MVP awards (two Offensive Player of the Year awards). But somehow he ended up escaping that 'only won one ring' label that hounded Manning for much of his career, and is now starting to for Rodgers. And I think the reason behind that reveals the lasting image of Drew Brees: He was never supposed to be here.
It isn't like Brees was an unknown - he had a good career at Purdue and was a 2nd round pick. His early career gestated in San Diego, not really making much of a noise until 2004 when he exploded out of nowhere for a 12-4 Chargers team that had gone 4-12 the year before. He had a decent 2005 season which ended in disaster as he tore his shoulder up in the last week. He was seen as damaged goods, famously passed on by Nick Saban and the Dolphins, and found his way down to New Orleans, a team that had just gone 3-13 and played all over the country post-Katrina.
Much like New Orleans itself, Brees was reborn in 2006, his first incredible season, leading the Saints to a 10-6 record and an NFC Championship Game. The connection he set-up with Sean Payton that year forged one of the all-time Coach & QB pairs (probably right there with Walsh & Montana as Playcaller & QB pairs). I think a lot of the reason Brees never got the pressure and criticisms that Manning or Rodgers did was the lasting effect of how special that 2006 season was, and the 2009 title season right after.
Truly those early Saints teams, before they got into the robotic YAC and short passing brilliance that set in during the later years, were a fascinatingly fun watch. The weapons were always changing, but Brees wasn't. The 2006 Saints were a miraculously fun team. The crowds in the Superdome in those days were legendary. The Brees from 2006-2009 was one of the more exciting runs I've seen. When I remember Brees's career, it will be for those years.
What I love about Brees is he got covered, and will hopefully be remembered, in the way we should remember and honor QBs. We didn't focus on his flaws, or his playoff losses, or his shortcomings. We focused on teh great performances year after year. He didn't get slammed for the playoff losses because he shouldn't be - more often than not he was felled in by truly awful defensive performances and ridiculous losses. We shou;dn't criticize QBs for when they lose despite playing well. We generally do anyway, but with Brees we resisted that temptation.
It is sad though how snakebitten he was in the playoffs - rivaling Peyton in terms of the tough losses. Even this year, while Brees most certainly did not play well, had Jimmy Graham not fumbled away what would have been a 1st down deep in Bucs territory up 20-13, maybe the Saints win that game. But going back they get weirder and weirder.
Two OT losses in 2019 (to the Vikings) and 2018 (Rams). The 2017 loss to the Vikings in the Minnesota Miracle game (the Diggs TD). There was the 2011 loss to the 49ers that mirrored the Vikings loss in 2017 with the Saints taking the lead with under a minute left and still losing. Even in 2004 he lost to the Jets after Nate Kaeding missed a short field goal in OT. He had his share of tough losses, including games he played fantastically in (2011 to the 49ers, 2010 to the Seahawks - the Beastquake game). He rightfully isn't seen as a playoff failure. I do just wish other QBs were talked about that way.
It will be so weird seeing someone else be the Saints QB next year. In a way, having non-Brees guys start 5-6 games these past two years at least got us prepared for it. The Saints were a marquee franchise for hte league for 15 years because of Brees, because of hte offensive machine that they built in New Orleans. They were a primetime standard, and always a good bet to just roast a team at home in primetime. They were such a dominant part of the NFL world for 15 years. Losing Brees does close that chapter, but what an incredible, history making, game changing, ride it was.
