Whether or not Drew Brees retires after two decades in the NFL or returns for at least one more season, his wife shed more light on what a physical challenge the 2020 season was for the veteran quarterback.
In a social media post on her private Instagram page, Brittany Brees paid tribute Wednesday morning to her husband’s challenging season — calling it “the hardest year of our lives” — by also revealing that the New Orleans Saints star battled through foot and shoulder injuries during the season, according to a NOLA.com report.
The injuries referenced by Brees’ wife were unknown publicly on top of the 11 fractured ribs and punctured lung that caused the 13-time Pro Bowl selection to miss four games in November and early December.
“The fact that you played this entire year with a torn rotator cuff, torn fascia in your foot, … then later 11 broken ribs and a collapsed lung,” Brittany Brees said in her post, per the report, “makes me think I should not have taken the epidural while giving birth to our kids.”
She termed the season “the hardest year of our lives, yet in some ways one of the best” in praising her husband’s determination in forging on in an effort to win his second Super Bowl, an effort that fell short.
Drew Brees likely finished after 20 NFL seasons, numerous injuries
The Saints’ 20-year veteran, who turned 42 last week, may have played his last NFL game in last Sunday’s 30-20 NFC Divisional Round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, helmed by 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady. Brees struggled in the hard-fought defeat, throwing for a playoff career-high three interceptions and just 134 passing yards.
After the game, Brees was seen giving a quick look back at the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome before heading into the tunnel, and into possible retirement. Fox Sports reported on its pregame show that this indeed would be Brees’ final campaign.
“I’ll answer this question one time, and that is I’m going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make the decision,” Brees said after the loss.
Brees missed four games while recovering from the ribs and lung injuries suffered Nov. 15 against the San Francisco 49ers. The Saints went 3-1 behind backup Taysom Hill.
–Field Level Media