Drew Brees set a 'standard' for next Saints quarterback, Sean Payton says
Brees, who spent 15 out of his 20 seasons with New Orleans, retired at the end of last year as arguably the greatest player in franchise history
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New Orleans Saints will enter the 2021 NFL season without a familiar face under center.
Quarterback Drew Brees, who spent 15 out of his 20 seasons in the NFL with New Orleans, retired at the end of last year as arguably the greatest player in franchise history. A five-time All-Pro and 13-time Pro Bowler, Brees led the league in passing yards a record seven times and in passing touchdowns a record four times. Brees, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, led the Saints to their first and only Super Bowl title in a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in 2010.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are at the top of the Saints depth chart heading into the 2021 season. Head coach Sean Payton is yet to announce either one of them as the starter, but he admitted that whoever is the successor to Brees in New Orleans, will have a tough time filling his shoes.
"There's a little bit of a standard, and it's kind of high," Payton said Friday on "NFL Total Access."
Payton continued: "I think both of the players we've talked about have had the benefit of training, being in meeting rooms with [Brees], and seeing the daily grind, and I think we go from there. Obviously, there's a high bar for our team… I think both of those guys will rise to the challenge. They both understand the importance of the reps that we're going to have in this upcoming training camp."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}JERRY RICE THINKS HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DOUBLE HIS STATS IN TODAY'S NFL
Last season, Hill served as Brees’ backup and even played in eight games, four of which were starts. He threw for 928 yards and four touchdowns and led the Saints to a 3-1 record.
Winston, on the other hand, was a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2015-19. He made four appearances, but only attempted 11 passes during his first season with the Saints.
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New Orleans brought up Winston on a one-year deal for 2021. The Saints also gave Hill a one-year extension earlier in the offseason.
The team is expected to report to training camp sometime during the last week of July.