Drew Brees is spending this weekend exactly where his career always seemed headed: Canton, Ohio. The former New Orleans Saints quarterback is set for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, joining Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri as part of the Class of 2026. But in the days leading up to it, Brees also addressed a question that has followed him for years: why he never seriously chased a comeback the way Philip Rivers did with the Indianapolis Colts.
Speaking at a promotional appearance for Raising Cane’s, Brees was asked directly whether coaches or teams had reached out about him coming out of retirement, and whether he’d ever weighed it. His answer wasn’t about desire. It was about wear and tear.
“I’ll say this: my body, my mind, everything feels like I could absolutely still get out there. Unfortunately, right shoulder, right wrist aren’t in great shape. I got all the mileage that I possibly could out of both of those,” Brees said, according to a report from ClutchPoints.
That’s consistent with what Brees has said in other interviews over the past several months. He’s repeatedly pointed to the same right shoulder as the reason his playing days are closed for good, telling Yahoo Sports and ESPN Radio in separate appearances this year that he no longer throws with his right arm at all — he plays catch with his kids left-handed instead.
The 2005 injury that never fully let go
None of this traces back to his time in New Orleans. It goes back to the final game of the 2005 season, when Brees was still with the San Diego Chargers. He dislocated his right shoulder and tore his labrum and rotator cuff in a collision that many assumed had ended his career before it really got going.
Dr. James Andrews performed the repair in 2006. Brees has said Andrews was blunt about what came next.
“Doctor Andrews basically said, ‘Hey, I’ll put you back together, just wear out the tires as much as you can, and know that you’re on a fast track to a degenerative shoulder after this.'”
The surgery worked well enough that the Miami Dolphins still passed on signing him over medical concerns. New Orleans didn’t, and the Saints got 15 seasons and a Super Bowl title out of the deal. But Andrews’ warning turned out to be accurate. Brees has said in multiple interviews, including one with CBS Sports earlier this year, that the shoulder simply doesn’t function above the joint line anymore. He can still play pickleball. He can’t throw a football with any velocity using his right arm.
Why the Rivers comparison doesn’t quite hold
Rivers’ return to the Colts last season after four years away reopened the door to comeback speculation around Brees, who last played a meaningful NFL snap in the 2020 season. The two were division rivals for years and retired within roughly the same window, which made the parallel an easy one for fans to draw.
But the situations aren’t identical. Rivers went back to work for a specific team with a specific need. Brees, at 47, has been dealing with a shoulder that surgeons flagged as compromised nearly two decades ago — a very different physical starting point than Rivers had. Brees has acknowledged the difference himself, telling outlets this year that while his mind and conditioning still feel game-ready, the arm simply isn’t the same tool it once was.
A Hall of Fame résumé that speaks for itself
Whatever the shoulder cost him at the end, it didn’t stop Brees from building one of the most complete résumés in NFL quarterback history. He finished his career second all-time in passing yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571), first in completions, and added a Super Bowl XLIV title and MVP award along the way.
| Category | Drew Brees Career Total | NFL Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 80,358 | 2nd all-time |
| Passing Touchdowns | 571 | 2nd all-time |
| Completions | 7,142 | 1st all-time |
| Completion Percentage | 67.7% | Among career leaders |
Those numbers are part of why Saturday’s enshrinement ceremony at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium carries extra weight. Former Saints head coach Sean Payton, who spent all 15 of his New Orleans seasons paired with Brees, will present him — a request Brees made personally over a video call this summer. Brees will become the first Saints player elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
He’s said this week that he expects the moment to hit him hard once he’s standing in front of the crowd in Canton, calling it close to the retirement send-off he never fully got in 2021 because of pandemic restrictions.
