For a Moment, Folks Thought Vikings Nemesis Was Returning to NFL
Former New Orleans Saints quarterback (and Vikings nemesis) Drew Brees and NBC severed ties over the weekend after a one-year relationship.
Brees retired from the NFL following the 2020 season and chose NFL analyst as his next career path. For now, that life-after-football plan is on hold.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1012325″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%205%20NFL%20teams%20who%20could%20be%20on%20the%20verge%20of%20rebuilds” duration=”176″ description=”NFL teams are becoming more open to rebuilds, with the Seattle Seahawks and Atlanta Falcons becoming the latest to tear things down. While it’s a direction no organization wants to take, there are signs a few more teams could be headed in this direction.” uploaddate=”2022-05-13″ thumbnailurl=”undefined” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/1012254/1012254.m3u8″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
In the wake of the NBC news, Brees tweeted his immediate thoughts, suggesting a litany of tasks he may undertake — most of which were in jest.
Even with the pickleball tour in the tweet, folks were tantalized by the line, “I may play football again.” The sentence led to a mini-flurry of speculation that Brees would actually play football in 2022.
In fact, entities like Pro Football Focus even ran with the unretirement idea on Monday morning.
Brees is 43 years old. He isn’t coming back to the NFL in a player capacity. This should be self-evident. During his final season, Brees was efficient, tabulating 24 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions. But the drop-off in his otherwise extraordinary skillset was blatantly obvious. The Saints had a decent year, too, reaching to the postseason before an ouster on behalf of the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The tweet from Brees is tomfoolery — almost a subtle troll job, which is frequent on Twitter. The pickleball reference is all one needs to know to understand the joke.
To others, including the current head coach of the Saints, the ruse was apparent.
Brees won a Super Bowl with New Orleans in 2009 but never reached the championship again. En route to his triumph, the Saints knocked off the Vikings in a topsy-turvy, scandal-ridden NFC Championship game 13 years ago.
After that, Minnesota paid it forward, prematurely ending Brees’ quest for a Super Bowl sequel, as the Vikings eliminated the Saints from the playoffs in 2017 and 2019.
The Vikings and Saints will play in London this October with QB1 Jameis Winston most likely New Orleans’ starter.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
Vikings Territory Also Read: Another Trade for Vikings, This Time with PIT
You must be logged in to post a comment.