The New Orleans Saints had a plan in place to try and sign Tom Brady if Drew Brees had decided to retire, according to ESPN. Brees — who was seriously considering retirement — was leaning towards playing another season, but the Saints still had a contingency plan, and it was Brady.
Brady also had interest in joining the Saints. New Orleans and Brady were apparently courting one another until Brees signed his two-year, $50 million extension this offseason. Soon after the’ deal was inked, the 43-year old ex-Patriot signed for the same two years and $50 million with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady had numerous options after leaving the New England Patriots. The Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers also expressed interest in signing Brady.
Last season, Brady experienced a decline with stats that had some questioning if he should retire. His quarterback passer rating was its lowest since the 2013 season, and he threw his least amount of touchdown passes since the 2006 campaign.
A strong defense became the backbone of the Patriots gameplan last year as the club managed to go 12-4. They lost to the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card game 20-13, in what would be Brady’s last appearance in a Patriots uniform.
On the flip side, Brees is still one of the premier quarterbacks at the age of 41. He had his highest quarterback passer rating of his career last season and threw 27 touchdowns despite missing five games after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right throwing thumb.
Still, it would be interesting to see how Brady would’ve done with the offensive weapons New Orleans has in running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Michael Thomas.
Brady and Brees will match up as the Saints and Buccaneers do battle on Sunday. It will be the first time in NFL history that two opposing teams will feature starting quarterbacks over the age of 40.
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