Mickey Loomis on Brees' Retirement: "I'm Not Sad...I'm Grateful"

New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis was a guest of "Movin' the Chains" with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM Radio earlier today. Loomis said well-pointed comments on Drew Brees' retirement.

Kyle T. Mosley | Mar 15, 2021

New Orleans Saints EVP/GM Mickey Loomis was a guest of "Movin' the Chains" with Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM Radio earlier today. Loomis said well-pointed comments on Drew Brees' retirement. His words which struck me were, "I'm not sad about the retirement, I'm grateful...," on Drew's final curtain call in New Orleans.

I listened to many debates about who was the greatest free-agent signing in NFL history. The two names at the top of the list are Reggie White and Drew Brees. Not to besmirch the accomplishments of the defensive Hall of Famer, but White's impact in the Green Bay community doesn't compare to Brees.

Along the Gulf Coast region of the United States, Brees and his family have positively affected someone, in one way or another. From the day of his signing 15 years ago to the manner he prepared for and played the game, his family's generosity to the City of New Orleans and region is far more impactful than any other player.

Loomis reflections echoed my sentiments, "it's just hard for me to imagine, or even think of a player that signed with a team that had a greater impact - not just on the team itself in the organization - but on the entire community."

There will never be another Drew Brees. His career serves as a model. Was he perfect. No. We took note of his imperfections with his Yahoo Finance interview flag comments. But give Drew credit. He listened to his teammates, other NFL players and decided to understand and support their cause(s). He could have done the opposite. He did not.

Loomis wrapped-up his comments by saying, "it's just, you know, remarkable what he's meant to the City of New Orleans, to the State of Louisiana. Particularly, you know at the time when, when we're coming out of Katrina, and there's a lot of questions about whether New Orleans was even going to exist going forward. So, he has just meant so much, it's hard to even put into words...the love and respect has been reciprocated back to him by the community."

Brees won. He won the hearts, souls, and admiration of many. My old colleague at Saints News Network, Derek "D'Professor" Stephens (rest well, my brother), would always reflect on the Saints and Brees. He once told me, "I never thought the Saints would ever win a Super Bowl in my lifetime. But I know it wouldn't have happened if they never signed Drew Brees."

Mickey Loomis encapsulated his thoughts by saying, "we're grateful and [we] appreciative of that." And so do Saints fans and Who Dats from all over the world.

Thank You, Drew Brees.

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