Drew Brees appears to be happily retired.
Despite that, people keep bringing up the idea of the New Orleans Saints‘ legendary quarterback coming out of retirement to play more QB in the NFL.
The latest idea came ahead of the 2026 NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, because one team is particularly in need at the most important position in sports: the Minnesota Vikings.
Troy Aikman, the former Cowboys QB who now does color commentary on ESPN’s Monday Night Football, suggested that Brees could be their solution.
Drew Brees to Vikings?
This is what Aikman said during Monday’s broadcast about Brees:
“You know, Joe, I heard from Drew Brees, and he’s thinking maybe he should come out of retirement. I told him if he does, Kevin O’Connell will sign him tomorrow.”
It’s more likely than not that Aikman was cracking a joke, but it’s hard to know for sure.
It seems like if Brees was on the verge of a decision like this, the big insiders like Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport would be all over it, and they’re not.
Never say never, but this one would be tough to believe without seeing it — and there might even be a problem contractually that would make it hard to pull off.
Drew Brees Contract With Saints
Brees is on the reserve-retired list as a member of the Saints based on his contract status when he retired.
That means that if he chose to come back, Brees would have to suit up for New Orleans unless they traded his rights elsewhere.
And while sometimes there are reasons to trade such rights, it’s hard to see the Saints being happy about moving Brees elsewhere just because he decided to return at an odd time.
So the way it shakes out, Brees would have to make a return from retirement official enough to then be traded before 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. Central) on Tuesday — or he’d return, be waived by the Saints, then be available to be claimed by the Vikings (but also by anyone else).
This complicating factor makes it unlikely that Brees returns to the NFL.
Saints Legend Drew Brees Urged to Fix Vikings’ QB Problem