Troy Aikman Knows Exactly How Drew Brees Should Approach His Retirement Decision
With the New Orleans Saints officially eliminated from the playoffs, Drew Brees heads into another offseason pondering retirement. The early indications suggest that Brees may have decided on his fate. Despite that, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman has chimed in on the situation and offered some practical advice.
Drew Brees finishes 2020 season on a sour note
The New Orleans Saints entered their divisional-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with lingering questions about Drew Brees‘ NFL future.
The speculation hovered around Brees likely retiring after this season, as Jay Glazer of Fox revealed just before the game. The mood deflated more in New Orleans after the Saints faltered at home against the Buccaneers, falling 30-20.
Brees struggled to be a positive factor for the Saints’ offense as he threw three interceptions in the contest and finished with a meager 38.1 passer rating. He threw for 139 yards on 19-of-34 passes with only 3.9 yards per attempt.
The 41-year-old crumbled under pressure in the fourth quarter as he threw two interceptions in the final 10 minutes that sealed his team’s fate. It was a far cry from the note that he wanted to finish on for the 2020 season.
Following the loss, Brees avoided any discussion on whether he had played in his final NFL game. With that in mind, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman has offered some keen advice for the Saints’ star quarterback.
Troy Aikman lays out retirement decision advice for Drew Brees
With the Saints’ 2020 season wrapped up, the franchise’s biggest question remains on Drew Brees’ future.
All indications are seemingly pointing toward retirement, but Brees hasn’t officially headed that route. During an interview on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday, Hall of Famer Troy Aikman offered some advice to the NFL’s all-time passing yards leader regarding how to approach the situation.
“Just take some time away and give it some real thought,” Aikman said. “I know he’s been thinking about this a long time. He’s been doing it a long time, but I think he just needs to get away and let some time pass. It’s hard to make these type of decisions after a tough loss after what he just experienced.”
There isn’t a pressing time frame for Brees to decide, as it will likely take a couple of weeks. Keep in mind, he headed into last offseason with much of the same mind frame and decided in mid-February.
The parameter may differ this time around now that he’s a year older, while his play has shown some evident decline. Nonetheless, Brees may take a few weeks to refresh his mind before making a decision.
What will unfold in New Orleans?
The Saints will operate in the background as Drew Brees navigates through the decision-making process.
New Orleans will have the next few weeks to begin shaping their offseason plans. The 42-year-old currently has one year left on his contract that will be a $36.1 million cap hit and holds a $22.5 million dead cap hit.
If Brees decided to retire, the Saints would take on the dead-cap hit while his $23 million signing bonus will spread across four years at $5.75 million per season. Meanwhile, New Orleans may look to move forward with Taysom Hill as the starter.
What doesn’t help their situation is that the team is projected to be roughly $100 million over the cap. All that means is that the Saints will head toward several significant offseason roster moves to push them closer to an even mark with the salary cap.
There is much business ahead in New Orleans beyond Brees’ retirement decision.
