When Tom Brady and Drew Brees shared a touching moment after their playoff game in January, many believed it would be the last matchup between the two legendary quarterbacks.
On Sunday, Brees, 42, announced his retirement after 20 NFL seasons. Shortly after, Brady, 43, responded to the news during a Zoom call with reporters.
“He’s a lot younger than me — he’s 18 months younger than me,” Brady said. “Eighteen months ago I felt pretty good, so I’ve got a little advanced age on him and experience. I’m hanging in there. He’s had a terrific year. He’s a great player — I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve always had a great amount of respect for him going all the way back to his Purdue days.
“I know what it takes to do what he’s doing, he knows what it takes to do what I’m doing. I think there’s just a lot of mutual respect.”
The two players entered the NFL one year apart, with Brady being selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth-round of the 2000 NFL Draft and Brees picked in the second-round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
The quarterbacks also faced each other in college with Brady playing for Michigan and Brees at Purdue as part of the Big Ten Conference.
In January, several reporters captured a meeting between the two legendary quarterbacks following Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 30-20 victory over Brees' New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Round playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
After the two quarterbacks shook hands, Brady threw a pass to Brees' son in the back corner of the Saints' end zone before walking off the field.
On Monday, Brees told the 'TODAY Show' he will be joining the NBC Sports team as a football analyst during an exclusive interview on Monday (March 15.)
"I'm part of the team now, a new team," Brees said. "I'm excited about that journey. I'm excited to stay very closely connected with the game of football, it's been such an important part of my life. I continue to be able to talk about it, show a passion for it, and be able to bring my kids along for the ride there as well, and let them be part of those special moments."
Brees, 42, will serve as a studio analyst during 'Football Night in America' and a game analyst during Notre Dame football coverage, as well NBC's Super Bowl LVI coverage in 2022 and other major non-football sporting events such as the upcoming Olympics.
Brees spent 15 of his 20 NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, leading the franchise to its only Super Bowl victory in 2009 and rallying the city in its post-Hurricane Katrina revival. The former second-round draft pick finishes his playing career as the NFL's all-time leader in career passing yards (80,358) and ranks second in touchdown passes (571) and completion percentage (67.7%.)
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