Back in December, Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that head coach Sean Payton called Drew Brees to ask if he’d come back and play when both Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian landed on the COVID-19 list.
Brees, as we know, declined the opportunity. Instead, Ian Book started that Monday game against the Dolphins in Week 16. He got sacked eight times and threw two picks in the 20-3 loss.
In his press conference announcing he’s stepping down, Payton confirmed that report with a bit of a twist.
“I spoke to [Brees] at length last night about this decision for the first time and he was fantastic,” Payton said. “And I did call him during the season and we discussed him coming back. And I think both of us agreed, based on our lineup versus Miami it was a good thing he stayed [with NBC] and didn’t come.”
Brees was New Orleans’ quarterback for 15 years before electing to retire after the 2020 season. He and Payton won Super Bowl XLIV together in the 2009 season.