Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees played 20 seasons in the league. The future first ballot Hall of Famer threw north of 10,500 passes before hanging up his cleats and right arm following the 2020 season.
He’s now opening up about the toll that playing quarterback in the NFL took on him.
In a recent appearance on ESPN Radio’s the “Greeny” show, Brees indicated that he did receive some calls about teams regarding potentially coming out of retirement in the years that followed him stepping away from the game.
However, there is one problem with this. He can’t throw right handed.
“Look, I’ll let you in on a little fact. I don’t throw with my right arm anymore. My right arm does not work. So, when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed,” Brees said.
That is certainly an eye-opening admission right there. It’s also pretty alarming in the grand scheme of things. Not being able to have the use of one arm post-retirement is certainly debilitating.
Brees suffered a dislocated shoulder when he was a member of the then-San Diego Chargers back in 2005. The future Hall of Famer indicated that it “put me on the fast-track to a degenerative shoulder and all kind of arthritic changes.”
Brees ultimately underwent shoulder surgery, which was performed by the noted Dr. Mark Andrews. While the quarterback knew that said procedure would have a long-term impact on his right arm, he thanked Andrews for saving his career.
“I owe Dr. Andrews a lot,” Brees said.
Drew Brees career stats: 68% completion, 80,358 yards, 571 TD, 243 INT
A second-round pick out of Purdue back in 2001, Brees is currently second on the all-time NFL list for passing yards and second in passing touchdowns, both behind Tom Brady.
Whether the quarterback believes what he’s dealing with post-football is worth it remains to be seen. But he’ll go down as an all-time great. That’s for sure.