Atlanta Falcons pay their respects to Drew Brees following retirement

Atlanta Falcons pay their respects to Drew Brees following retirement

For more than a decade Drew Brees has been one of the major archenemies of the Atlanta Falcons faithful, but that all came to an end Sunday when he officially announced his retirement.

Brees, 41 years old, had long been expected to retire after the 2020 season. He finished his career completing 67.7 percent of his passes for 80,358 yards and 571 touchdowns to 243 interceptions.

While it’s a bittersweet moment for many New Orleans Saints fans, most Atlanta Falcons fans couldn’t wait for him to get out the door. Brees finished with a 19-9 record against the Falcons with the Saints (19-10 in his career) and many of those 19 losses were games that Falcons fans won’t soon forget.

Following his retirement announcement, the Atlanta Falcons’ official Twitter page shared his appreciation video with this caption: ‘We thank you, Drew Brees. But, we won’t miss you.’

Atlanta Falcons & the NFC South Division as a whole now usher in a new era

We’re still going to see Matt Ryan with the Falcons for a few more seasons, but it’s absolutely crazy how things have changed in this division.

There was a time just a few years ago where we had legitimate potential in terms of QB talent all over the division. Cam Newton (Panthers), a young Jameis Winston (Bucs), Ryan (Falcons) and Brees (Saints) made for some intriguing matchups.

Now, as we enter 2021, there’s a new era beginning to take shape.

We’ve got veterans in Ryan and Tom Brady and we’ve got some interesting decisions set to be made this offseason in terms of the Saints and the Panthers. The Falcons also could be in the market for a future QB, as well.

No matter what you thought about Brees- and it probably wasn’t positive if you’re a Falcons fan- one thing is for certain: His retirement is the beginning of a new era in the NFC South Division and we’re going to see that theme continue to take shape over the coming months and years as each franchise moves in a new direction.