Drew Brees Had 'A Lot of Limitations' During Saints' 2020 Season Due to Injuries

Butch Dill/Associated Press

Longtime New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees appears to wish his NFL career had ended on a higher note.

Brees, who retired this offseason after 15 seasons with the Saints (and five with the San Diego Chargers), talked about the injuries he suffered in his final season, when he made 12 appearances.

"I had a lot of limitations throughout the season as to what I could and couldn't do," he told reporters Wednesday.

In January, Brees' wife, Brittany, revealed the star had foot and shoulder injuries in addition to 11 cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. He was on the injury report with a right shoulder ailment in Weeks 8-10, and the rib and lung issues were reported in Week 11.

He was absent for Weeks 11-14.

On Wednesday, Brees said he also "had this abdominal thing" for "pretty much most of the season."

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"As a QB everything you do is rotation," he said. "And when you can't rotate the way that you want, you all of a sudden begin to accommodate. Everything for you kind of narrows. I can't make that throw. I can't make that throw. I can't make that throw. So what's now in my toolbox?"

Brees is set to work for NBC, having signed a contract to join the network's Sunday Night Football broadcast.

As for his successor, he told reporters Wednesday he sees positives in both of his backups from 2020, Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston.