NFL insider reports Drew Brees recently underwent shoulder surgery

The future of former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees was thrown into the spotlight this week, when reports emerged saying that the future Hall of Fame signal-caller was leaving NBC after just one year in the broadcast booth. Then, Brees took to Twitter to share an interesting message, hinting at a possible return to football.

While the message from Brees might have been made in jest, as Saints head coach Dennis Allen believes it was, many have speculated whether or not Brees is actually considering a return to the field. ESPN NFL insider Ed Werder just provided a big update on Brees, saying that the longtime quarterback recently underwent shoulder surgery, which would hinder a possible comeback.

“Knowing Drew Brees over the years, I do not take seriously his recent social media posts about unretiring to play QB in the #NFL,” Werder tweeted. “For one thing, he had left shoulder surgery two weeks ago and would be physically unable to play until at least September or October, per a source.”

Brees is a one-time Super Bowl champion, and he also made 13 Pro Bowls in his 20-year NFL career. He currently ranks second in NFL history with 80,358 passing yards and 571 touchdowns.

Even if a return to football is out of the picture for Brees, his future for next season still remains a big question mark. With him likely not going back to NBC, Brees must find a new network to join if he indeed does want to remain in the broadcast booth moving forward.

Ian Rapoport doesn’t think Brees will return to the NFL

Like Dennis Allen, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport believes that the comment from Brees was made in jest. Brees, who said that the Saints’ recent signings of Jarvis Landry and Tyrann Mathieu makes him “want to come back and play again,” likely didn’t mean anything from his message.

“I think Dennis Allen was speaking very honestly when he said, ‘This was a comment in jest,’” Rapoport said. “The Saints have had no conversations about it and it’s very clear they’re committed to Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback for this season and hopefully beyond. It’s important to remember that when Drew Brees, who was awesome, is a future Hall of Famer and led the Saints to incredible heights, at the time of his retirement, it wasn’t just Brees who decided to retire. It was also the game of football.

“By the end, he was just based on the people I’ve spoken with, really struggling to run this really dynamic offense, couldn’t get the ball where it needed to get to. Retired at the perfect time. The thought of him coming back a couple years after that is just mind boggling to me. I don’t think that’s happening, I think Dennis Allen spoke accurately about it being in jest.”