Brett Favre sees no reason Tom Brady, Drew Brees won't play 'as long as they want'
Brett Favre knows a thing or three about deciding to retire. The Hall of Fame quarterback and Green Bay Packers legend eventually called it a career after two decades in the NFL.
He retired in January 2011 at the age of 41 but what was right for him isn’t for others. Favre was back on his SiriusXM NFL radio show Monday morning to dive into what goes into the decision. And for New England Patriots superstar Tom Brady, 41, and New Orleans Saints leader Drew Brees, 40, the cards aren’t there yet.
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“Drew Brees and Tom Brady look to me like they could play as long as they want,” Favre said, “given the protection that they need and as long as they want to play. Physically they look great.”
Players weigh pros, cons
What was once exciting can turn into a bore for players aging into their late 30s and 40s.
Eli Manning, 38, of the New York Giants, and Philip Rivers, 37, of the Los Angeles Chargers are included by Favre as those starting to feel the lethargy of the game in some way.
“They’d be lying if they said, ‘you know what OTAs are fun. Sitting in meetings are fun.'” Favre said. “The game itself probably if anything is more fun and more rewarding as you get older because you appreciate it more. It’s kind of funny because in some ways it’s not nearly as fun as it used to be but in others it is more fun.
“You weigh the pros and cons and how do you feel and only that person … can answer that question: How do I feel and how do I want to feel if I play one or two more years? Am I going to jeopardize how how I feel later on even more than I have already?”
Favre: Hard for Brady to want to walk away
Unlike Brees and Brady, though, Manning and Rivers are in positions that may lead to a retirement decision sooner than later. Not every signal caller has the protection Brady is afforded. The Patriots’ offensive line ranked first during the regular season in adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders, and third in adjusted line yards.
The Saints are ranked third in adjusted sack rate while protecting Brees. Rivers’ Chargers are 13th and Manning’s Giants are 20th.
Brady made it quite clear Super Bowl LIII won’t be the end. There’s a zero percent chance he’s retiring, he said in an ESPN feature, and insists he’d like to make it to 45. Favre agrees with Brady’s assessment to ESPN that when he knows, he’ll know.
“It’d be hard for Tom to walk away because he’s playing at such a high level,” Favre said. “Really nothing has changed with the dynamics of that team. And that’s important too. Same head coach. Same offensive coordinator. There’s new guys that come and go around him but in a lot of ways things have remained the same. And that certainly makes it easier to me to make a decision and come back.”
Favre also touched on the topic of routine and getting stuck in your ways. Brady’s routine is winning and Super Bowls, and if that doesn’t stop it seems Brady won’t, either.
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