Dozens of players turned down trips to the Pro Bowl this year, but Saints quarterback Drew Brees is there as usual.
Brees is at his 10th Pro Bowl and hasn’t joined with the trend of veteran players skipping the game to get some offseason rest. He says he still views it as a great honor to be recognized as one of the best in the business.
“I take it as a great honor to be chosen, to be in that conversation, in the mix, to be chosen for the Pro Bowl,” Brees told ESPN.
Brees enjoys getting to know younger players, like his fellow NFC quarterbacks, both of whom are at their first Pro Bowls.
“It’s an opportunity for me to be around guys I admire from afar and would really like to just spend time with,” Brees said. “Like I was really excited to come here and spend time with Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins.”
The quality of the Pro Bowl has steadily slipped as more and more players have decided it isn’t worth their time. The NFL wishes more players would view it the way Brees does.