New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is not interested in seeing Drew Brees in a different uniform. 

Loomis said the NFC South team wants him under center as long as the 41-year-old approaching free agency wants to continue playing, calling it "no different than it's been the last few years," per Mike Triplett of ESPN.

"It's easy to take him for granted, yet I don't take him for granted," Loomis continued.

It's not exactly a surprise the Saints would want Brees back.

He is a New Orleans institution who has been with the team since the 2006 campaign and led it to a Super Bowl title in the 2009 season. Brees, who started his career with the San Diego Chargers, has won two Offensive Player of the Year awards, made 12 of his 13 Pro Bowls and led the league in passing yards seven times and passing touchdowns four times during his tenure with the Saints.

Loomis' comments on Wednesday come on the same day Brees appeared on ESPN's NFL Live and said he will spend time with his family and factor their input into any decision he makes about his playing future.

"I wanted to give it at least a few weeks, months, postseason," he said. "Just to take a deep breath and decompress a little bit and get some time with the family and then just reassess."

The Saints fared well without the veteran when he was sidelined this season.

Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 and threw for 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions while keeping the team in the middle of playoff race when Brees was out with a thumb injury. Taysom Hill is also an option under center, but that would largely take the versatile playmaker's ability to impact the game on special teams and as a receiver away.

Bridgewater could attract attention from elsewhere this offseason as a potential option for quarterback-needy teams, meaning the Saints may have some decisions to make when it comes to the future of the position.

As he approaches free agency this offseason, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is in no rush to decide on his next move.

Brees discussed his future during an appearance on NFL Live on Wednesday.

"I wanted to give it at least a few weeks, months, postseason," he said. "Just to take a deep breath and decompress a little bit and get some time with the family and then just reassess."

The 13-time Pro Bowler added that spending time with his family and getting their input will be among the most important factors he'll consider before he makes a final choice.

Brees was limited to 11 games in 2019 after tearing a ligament in his right thumb. He still threw for 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Between 2004 and 2018, the 41-year-old had missed just four games, so he had never experienced the kind of layoff necessitated by his thumb injury. As he neared his return in Week 8, he told reporters how his time away offered him a new perspective on playing in the NFL.

"A lot of it was excitement," Brees said. "As game time approached, it turned into gratitude and grateful for the opportunity to get back out there again. Grateful for this team and for this moment and being able to have this moment. I feel like there are a lot of great moments ahead."

That stretch also provided New Orleans with a taste of life without Brees under center. The Saints will presumably allow him to take as much time as he needs to contemplate retirement.

Having said that, the earlier he makes an announcement, the better.

Teddy Bridgewater went 5-0 as Brees' understudy, throwing for 1,384 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions and looking capable of working in a starting role again.

Bridgewater would be an obvious candidate to succeed Brees, but he's likely to have a lot of interest throughout the NFL in free agency, which officially begins March 18.

As long as Brees makes up his mind sooner rather than later, the Saints could look to re-sign Bridgewater or target a quarterback early in the 2020 draft in April. Were he to wait until late spring or early summer, New Orleans could be left in a difficult position.

Former New Orleans Saints safety Steve Gleason was honored with a Congressional Gold Medal Wednesday, and the 42-year-old ALS advocate was met with a roaring standing ovation:

Gleason became the first football player to ever receive the honor, per Jeff Duncan of The Athletic, and his medal features him wearing his No. 37 Saints jersey:

Gleason was immortalized in 2012 with a statue in front of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome depicting his legendary blocked punt from the Saints' first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. However, his lasting legacy has become his courageous activism since he was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. 

Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who was teammates with Gleason for the 2006 season, spoke at Wednesday's ceremony about the day he was told Gleason had ALS:

On Dec. 20, 2018, Gleason released a statement on his nomination for the Congressional Gold Medal:

Gleason joins the likes of Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus as athletes to have received a Congressional Gold Medal (h/t Terri Troncale of the Saints' website).

If Drew Brees retires, his next move could be to the broadcast booth.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported "at least one non-ESPN network" has contacted Brees about a leap into broadcasting after his playing career. FOX, CBS and NBC are the other major networks that broadcast NFL games, though Schefter did not specify which network reached out.

Brees has refused to engage in discussions until he makes a decision about his playing career.

"Drew has not spoken with them or anyone about any new opportunities," a source told Schefter. "Until such time as a decision is made about next season, he will not be engaging in any conversations regarding or considering any new opportunities."

Saints coach Sean Payton said he expects Brees to return in 2020.

“No, I see him on our field this upcoming season," Payton said when asked if he could see Brees as a television analyst, per Nick Underhill of The Athletic.

Brees will be an unrestricted free agent, but it's expected he will either re-sign with the Saints or retire. In an appearance on WWL Radio earlier this week, Brees sounded like he plans on returning in 2020.

"Listen, it's not a matter of if I can still play. I know I can still play," Brees said, per Amie Just of NOLA.com. "And if I really wanted to, I could probably play for another three or four years, but at the end of the day when that decision is made, I don't want to walk away from this game because I have 32 teams telling me I can't play anymore. I want to do it on my own terms. 

"When that time comes, I'll know. And, in large part, it'll be because of my family. I've played 30 years of organized football, 19 years of professional football. Those 30 years, that's three-quarters of my life. I've devoted myself to this for so long and had my family sacrifice for so long. These are all the things you take into account when making a decision like that."

Brees threw for 2,979 yards and 27 touchdowns against four interceptions in 2019. He missed five games due to injury, which is three more games than he'd missed in his entire tenure with the Saints. There's little question that Brees continues to play at a high level; it's not often guys completing nearly three-quarter of their passes retire.

Odds are Brees will be back under center in 2020, but a future in the broadcast booth appears likely once he does hang it up. 

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas revealed on Twitter that he played with a broken hand in his team's 26-20 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card Round last Sunday.

Thomas made the remarks in the midst of a tweet series that began with one apparently in response to the Vikings struggling en route to a 27-10 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.

Numerous Twitter users responded by noting that Thomas and the Saints were already out of the playoffs, which led to Thomas' admission.

Thomas caught seven passes for 70 yards in the OT loss. He set an NFL record with 149 receptions in the regular season.

His remarks continued as the Vikings' game neared its end.

I like that

— Michael Thomas (@Cantguardmike) January 12, 2020

The final one was in reference to quarterback Kirk Cousins and his "You like that?" remark. Cousins and the Vikings offense only gained 147 scrimmage yards, with the signal-caller going 21-of-29 for 172 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Ninety of the passing yards came on two game-closing drives, and he was sacked six times.

The 49ers will host the winner of the Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers NFC Divisional Round game in the NFC Championship January 19.

Antonio Brown is back with a new music video, this time featuring behind-the-scenes footage of his workout with the New Orleans Saints.

The music video features conversations Brown had leading up to the workout and afterward, including him saying "this s--t is all a lie"—seemingly insinuating the Saints never had plans of signing him. Saints officials were reportedly unhappy with Brown for bringing a video crew to the workout, with Mike Garafolo of NFL Network saying it was a "whole bleep show."

The new song is titled "Home From the N.O." and features rapper YDtheBEST. It falls in line with Brown's heavily autotuned first release, "Whole Lotta Money," which drew tepid-at-best reviews. 

Brown has taken to rapping as he continues to wait for an NFL team to sign him after being released by the New England Patriots in September. The Saints were the first team to give Brown a workout since his release, which came after two women accused him of sexual misconduct.

The NFL is continuing to investigate the claims made against Brown, and there has been no timetable given for a ruling. Agent Drew Rosenhaus, who is shown with Brown in the video, has maintained he expects a team to sign the seven-time Pro Bowler once the NFL investigation is concluded.

In the meantime, it appears Brown is committed to the rap game despite the less-than-enthusiastic reaction he's received. 

Michael Thomas isn't necessarily tweeting through it, but his stance regarding Kyle Rudolph's game-winning touchdown catch in the Minnesota Vikings' 26-20 wild-card victory over the New Orleans Saints is obvious. 

Many wondered whether Rudolph was guilty of pushing off Saints cornerback P.J. Williams prior to hauling in a four-yard touchdown grab:

In the immediate aftermath of the game, Thomas began "liking" tweets criticizing how the play was handled by the officiating crew:

Al Riveron, the NFL's senior vice president of officiating, confirmed that officials in the league's New York office reviewed the play and determined Rudolph didn't commit offensive pass interference. While acknowledging contact between Williams and Rudolph, Riveron said that "none of that contact rises to the level of a foul."

Once again, the Saints head into the offseason amid controversy.

Sporting goods stores in the greater New Orleans area should stock up on referee shirts when the 2020 regular season draws near.

Regardless of how things play out in the postseason, the New Orleans Saints reportedly don't have to worry about losing quarterback Drew Brees. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the 13-time Pro Bowler doesn't plan to retire if the Saints win a Super Bowl and the "likelihood" is the two sides will work out a short-term deal or a "last resort" of playing next season under the franchise tag. 

Brees' current contract⁠—a two-year, $50 million pact signed in March 2018⁠—includes a voidable year in 2020 that allowed the Saints to prorate his bonus money out over three years instead of two.

That deal came after back and forth between both sides that bled into the start of free agency. ESPN's Mike Triplett reported that at least one other team was willing to offer him $60 million guaranteed over two years before the Super Bowl XLIV MVP re-signed in New Orleans.

Now in his 19th NFL season and 10 days away from his 41st birthday, Brees shows no signs of slowing down. He has led the NFL in completion percentage in each of the last three seasons, including a 74.3 mark in 2019, and averaged 270.8 passing yards per game with 27 touchdowns and four interceptions in 11 games this year.

The Saints are entering the playoffs with a 13-3 record after winning the NFC South for the third straight year. Their lone Super Bowl appearance was their victory over the Indianapolis Colts after the 2009 season. 

Former New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason will receive the Congressional Gold Medal on Jan. 15, per the Associated Press.

The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor that can be awarded by the United States Congress.

The Saints announced on December 20, 2018, that Gleason would eventually receive the Gold Medal, but a date was not revealed at that time.

Gleason, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2011, began the Team Gleason foundation soon afterward to help people also suffering from the disease.

Per the foundation's website, "Team Gleason has provided almost $10 million in adventure, technology, equipment and care services to over 15,000 people living with ALS and countless others through advocacy, support and ultimately bringing an end to the disease."

Gleason, who played for New Orleans from 2000-2006, is best known on the field for his punt block for a touchdown during the New Orleans Saints' first game back at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome after Hurricane Katrina touched down in August 2005.

New Orleans played its 2005 home games in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; San Antonio, Texas; and even East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Their first game back occurred in 2006 versus the Atlanta Falcons, when his blocked punt early in the first quarter directly led to a Curtis DeLoatch touchdown. The Saints won 23-3 and eventually went to the NFC Championship Game after going 3-13 the year prior.

The moment is now captured in a statue called "Rebirth" outside the Superdome.

The New Orleans Saints worked out free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown last Friday, but the wideout said on Instagram Live he believed the team pulled a "publicity stunt" by bringing him in.

The NFL is investigating Brown after sexual assault accusations were made against him.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Sunday NFL Countdown that Brown "caught every single thing that was thrown to him" but that the team would not sign him until the NFL's investigation is complete. Schefter further said there was "no clarity" on when a decision would be made.

Brown referenced the investigation in the 55-second clip.

"Everyone has deadlines, but I guess the NFL don't have a deadline for me," Brown said. The wideout then said he appreciated Saints head coach Sean Payton bringing him in to work out.