NFL Rumors: Drew Brees Could Be Out For Several Weeks After Suffering Thumb Injury

Drew Brees could be headed into very unfamiliar territory — the injured list.

The famously durable New Orleans Saints quarterback injured his right thumb in the first half of his team’s 27-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. As The Inquisitr reported, Brees struck the thumb into the rushing Aaron Donald and left the game in obvious pain, not returning as backup Teddy Bridgewater took over.

Now, there are signs that the injury could be serious and keep Brees on the sidelines indefinitely. Dr. David J. Chao, the former team doctor for the Los Angeles Chargers who now analyzes football injuries on his website ProFootballDoc, noted that Brees was unable to grip a football on the sidelines after suffering the injury. Chao said that the best-case scenario was a thumb sprain, which would allow him to return next week. But at worst, the Saints quarterback could have suffered a ligament tear that would likely keep him out for a long stretch of the season, likely four to six weeks. Chao noted that a number of other quarterbacks have suffered similar injuries, all of them missing significant time.

After the game, Brees was seen with his right thumb and lower hand in a wrap. As ESPN reported after the game, Brees said he was concerned about the injury and had plans to see a hand specialist before leaving Los Angeles. Though Brees had already undergone X-rays by this point, the Saints quarterback didn’t know anything definitive about the injury.

“It’s all up in the air right now,” he said.

The Saints struggled behind Teddy Bridgewater, who went 17-for-30 with 165 yards in what was just the third time under coach Sean Payton that the Saints failed to score a touchdown.

A closeup of the wrap on Drew Brees’ hand. pic.twitter.com/xPw7wGW59G

— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 16, 2019

Drew Brees now finds himself in an unusual situation. As ESPN noted, the 40-year-old quarterback has only missed one start due to injury since his high school days, sitting out of a Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers in 2015 after suffering a shoulder injury. Brees suffered another major shoulder injury in the last game of the 2005 season when he was headed toward free agency. The injury likely changed his career trajectory, as the uncertainty over the injury led some teams to back off and led to Brees signing with the New Orleans Saints, where he has become the team’s most accomplished quarterback of all time and led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title.

If Drew Brees should remain out, Payton said the team is comfortable going forward with Bridgewater, who has been a starter in the past and is the league’s highest-paid backup at $7.25 million.