Yet again, Drew Brees stands in the shadow of Tom Brady.
Brees, one of the best quarterbacks of all time, isn’t the best quarterback of his generation, thanks in large part to Brady. Brees, like Brady, is on the wrong side of 40. Brees, like Brady, will be a free agent in March, able to go anywhere he wants. Brees, like Brady, could be at least contemplating retirement.
But it’s Brady, not Brees, who has been the focal point of the articles, the chatter, the speculation. Maybe few expect Brees to retire because he’s never tried to put an expiration date on his career. Maybe few expect Brees to leave New Orleans because he could have two years ago and didn’t.
Regardless, Brees once again stands on the brink of free agency. Win or lose today, he won’t play again in the Superdome this season unless the Saints beat the Vikings and then the Packers, and if the Seattle/Philly winner upsets the 49ers.
So what will Brees do? No one knows. Few even discuss it. There’s no reason to think he’d want to go elsewhere. But what if, despite a career-high passer rating for Brees, the Saints decide that the time has come to turn the page? Would the Saints keep Brees in deference to what he’s done in the past, if the organization believes that the best interests of the franchise are served by moving on?
That seems unlikely. But it’s not impossible. Brees turns 41 in 10 days. The Saints will need to assess whether, come September, he’ll be able to keep doing what he’s always done -- and they’ll need to decide how much they want to pay for that.
Regardless of how it plays out, the issue should at least be on the outer edge of the offseason radar. With Brady’s status beeping loudly in the center of the screen, Brees’ status hardly registers a blip.
