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Former Saints and Chargers QB Drew Brees when asked about what he has seen from QB Justin Herbert playing him last year, “the sky is the limit for him.” pic.twitter.com/4wMxxvVTRV
— Fernando Ramirez (@RealFRamirez) June 16, 2021
Retirement has been far from low-key for Drew Brees. The legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback has stayed in touch with his peers around the NFL since deciding to hang up his cleats, this time joining the Los Angeles Chargers for a minicamp practice session.
Brees made the trip to L.A. to catch up with the team that drafted him, plus some friends — not just former teammates like Jared Cook and Chase Daniel, but his old Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, too. However, the real draw would be second-year Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
“I’ve actually been really impressed with him,” Brees told Sports Illustrated’s Fernando Ramirez, emphasizing that Herbert has made a strong impression off of their limited contact together. “There’s no doubt that his physical tools are as good as anybody I’ve ever seen. By call accounts he’s a great worker, he’s got great leadership qualities, he’s got a lot of intangibles. So I think the sky is the limit for a guy like him.”
Brees went on to put a vote of confidence in for Lombardi, who is getting his second shot at calling plays after an ugly, short-lived run with the Detroit Lions back in 2014 that ended early the next season. He’s confident Lombardi can put Herbert in a position to succeed, and he’ll have a great vantage point to see how it plays out working with NBC Sports.
But Saints fans shouldn’t be feeling a certain way about Brees visiting the Chargers and hanging out with Russell Wilson; Sean Payton has joked about Brees “poking his head in the door” at the team practice facility from time to time, so he’s still keeping tabs on New Orleans. In his new media career, though, these relationships across the football world will mean everything, and it’s smart of Brees to cultivate them.
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