If we assume Brees was legitimately planning to retire after the Pro Bowl.... (1 Viewer)

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Then I wonder who or what managed to convince him to give it one last run ?

On the other side of that coin, what was prompting him to strongly consider retirement in the first place? I remember Favre, after being asked about some of his last few seasons where he was wishy-washy on retirement, mentioning that he would end a season feeling all banged up and ready to make retirement official........but then a few months would go by and some healing would occur, which would bring back the itch to play. Maybe that's how Drew felt after the Vikings game ?

Maybe it was mental just as much as it was physical? Imagine having 2017 ripped away from him in the manner it was........only have 2018 say "hold my beer, I can one-up that".........only to put together another 13-3 season just to get bounced at home in a wild card game? And then having to mentally envision the grind of re-starting the process yet again...

Then there are some that think it was the Tom Brady factor. I'm not really sure I believe the whole "there was talk about Brady being a Saint, so suddenly Brees put retirement on hold" story that floated around a week or so ago (why would Bill Parcells have been the one to reach out to Payton about that on behalf of the Brady camp?)..........but it was a fun story, anyway. Probably will forever be told regardless of credibility, sort of like the legendary "you know there were actually 2 Ultimate Warriors in WWF, right? The first one died and Vince replaced him with somebody else shortly thereafter!" tale that probably still gets repeated somewhere.

I personally like to believe that Brees...........like Favre a decade-plus ago.........simply gave his body some time to heal, and realized that the window is very much open right now. If he were walking into a 2015 situation again at the age of 41, I imagine he'd have probably just retired. But this team, on paper, may very well be the deepest roster he's ever had at his disposal.

I actually hope his "I had every intention of retiring" story is 100% accurate. What a great story that would be if "I almmmmmooost quit for good" turned into holding up another Lombardi.

 

[oodank]

I believe the allure of facing Brady twice and battling it out in the Nfcsouth had a little something to do with it, coupled with the fact that he's mostly healthy and still playing at a high level with a deep and talented roster. Brees is a competitor up there with the best of them!

 

[whosyadaddy]

"Hey Drew we know your contemplating retirement and all but can you comment on the rumor of Tom Brady not only wanting to break your records, but that he was looking into the possibility of doing it with your team the Saints and your coach Payton?"

Drew = "Dust off my cleats. It's on like Donkey Kong"

 

[dutar76]

Drew probably just realized he needed the money.

If I had to guess, I'd bet his reasons were a combination of a lot of things. The biggest being that the window is still open with a roster that Loomis, Payton, and Ireland custom built to give him the opportunity for another shot at a ring.

I remember reading that his wife was good either way, but his kids wanted him to play. That's probably big too. Missing 5 games last year likely factored in. And he was probably near 50/50 after the season... and his ultra competitive nature ended up tipping the scales.

And if true, the thought of Brady taking HIS team all the way... man, that would be hard to swallow.

 

[Meachemdat]

After hearing Brady to Tampa, it's hard to think it's anything besides making sure he holds all the records before he hangs them up.

 

[bigezsaint]

Brees announced he was returning a full month before Brady signed. How could Brady's allure in Tampa be a factor when it wasn't even a reality?

All these dudes work on future plans long before the public hears about them. IE: Brees to broadcast booth. I guarantee there was smoke around the fire about Brady inquiring about the Saints in 2020.

These guys are Alpha's and have huge prideful ego's. Do you really think Drew would be fine with Brady coming to New Orleans, topping some his records and possibly winning a Super Bowl? Hell no!