Sean Payton says Drew Brees retirement hasn’t fully hit yet

The New Orleans Saints knew inevitably they would have transition to life after Drew Brees. The future Hall of Fame quarterback made that reality official last month by calling it quits after an illustrious career in the NFL. The Saints know they must work to find Brees’ heir apparent, and whether that quarterback is already in the building or coming up in the draft remains to be seen. What is certain is that things will be different around the organization without a figure like Drew Brees around.

Head coach Sean Payton admitted that Brees retirement hadn’t fully set in yet as football activities have yet to resume. Once that happens, the magnitude of things might fully set in. Payton spoke with SI’s Albert Breer with the MMQB and had this to say regarding Brees:

Fortunately, the Saints have experience playing without Brees under center. The last two seasons have seen the Saints play nine games without the services of Brees and the Saints were 8-1 in those contests. This in no way mitigates the greatness of Brees, but merely highlights the brilliance of Payton. Those two will forever be intrinsically linked together, so it will be interesting to detail their respective transition apart. Admittedly though, Payton realizes there is still a task at hand.

There is no fully replacing a guy as great as Drew Brees. However, the Saints still have greatness at head coach and Sean Payton is relishing the opportunity to continue to have his team perform at a high level. While Saints fans will never forget the time these two spent together, we are hopeful for the good times we have to come.

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