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Drew Brees shocked the NFL world recently when he went on Twitter to talk about his future. He listed several things he could be doing this fall, and returning to the 2022 NFL season was one of them.
Brees retired from his legendary career with the New Orleans Saints following the 2020 NFL season. He took a job as a broadcaster with NBC for the 2021 NFL season, where he mainly worked as a studio analyst for the network's weekly production of Sunday Night Football. He mentioned that he might continue with NBC moving forward but also said "I may play football again" about his plans for the upcoming season.
While it's unclear just how serious Drew Brees is about a possible return to the NFL, his tweet has left the door open for a comeback while creating rumors about his situation. He is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, but it's fair to wonder whether or not he's still capable of playing at an elite level.
Many factors are working against Brees at this point. He's now 43 years old, and when the 2022 NFL season kicks off, he will have been away from the football field for about 19 months. While these are both alarming, the biggest red flag is the recent injury history that slowed him down towards the end of his NFL career.
Injuries could prevent Drew Brees from ever making a comeback to the NFL
Drew Brees was forced to miss nine games combined across his final two seasons in the NFL due to various injuries. Most notably, during the 2020 NFL season, he reportedly played with 11 cracked ribs and a collapsed lung while also dealing with injuries to his shoulder and foot, which required surgery following the season.
While his statistics from the 2020 NFL season looked solid on the surface, he noticeably struggled to push the ball downfield. He completed more than 70 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions but also set a new career-low with just 6.1 air yards per pass attempt.
Of the 35 quarterbacks who started at least six games during the 2020 NFL season, Drew Brees ranked 34th in air yards per pass attempt. This is a significant issue, especially in today's NFL, where the vertical passing game increases in importance.
Despite not playing last season, Brees is still recovering from injuries suffered during his career. According to NFL insider Ed Werder, Brees recently had another shoulder surgery.
Werder wrote on Twitter on Tuesday:
"Knowing Drew Brees over the years, I do not take seriously his recent social media posts about unretiring to play QB in the [NFL]. For one thing, he had left shoulder surgery two weeks ago and would be physically unable to play until at least September or October, per a source."
Werder doesn't believe Brees is seriously considering a comeback, likely due to his age and a long list of injuries. He also stated that Brees won't even be ready to start practicing until after the season has begun, further complicating the idea of a return.
Drew Brees is a future Hall of Famer and statistically one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. While a return to the field for the 2022 NFL season is a possibility, there are probably too many hurdles for him to clear at this stage of his life to make it a realistic scenario.
