Drew Brees Admits Painful Career Regret Over NFL Playoff Format Costing Multiple Super Bowl Shots

Drew Brees won just one Super Bowl in his twenty year-long playing career divided between the Chargers and the Saints.

Drew Brees Admits Painful Career Regret Over NFL Playoff Format Costing Multiple Super Bowl Shots

Drew Brees (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Drew Brees expressed regret over missed Super Bowl opportunities during his NFL career.
  • He highlighted four playoff losses where the Saints had strong chances to win.
  • Brees criticized the NFL's single-elimination playoff format compared to other sports' series formats.

Over his twenty-year NFL career, Drew Brees earned Offensive Player of the Year honors twice, received five All-Pro selections, and made 13 trips to the Pro Bowl. He led the league in passing yards seven times, in pass completion percentage six times, and in passer rating twice. The highlight of Brees’ career has to be winning the 2009-10 Super Bowl by beating Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts.

Brees reflects on certain moments of his career with a sense of disappointment. He understands that the New Orleans Saints had the talent to win multiple Lombardi Trophies. However, despite the Saints’ long playoff runs, they repeatedly fell short of their ultimate goal.

In an exclusive appearance on the Get Got Podcast, hosted by retired Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch and fullback Mike Robinson, Brees recalled four separate occasions when the Saints nearly added to their ring count.

Brees started by mentioning the 2011 season when the Saints scored 547 points (8th most total in a single season by an NFL team). They lost to the San Francisco 49ers by just one score (36-32) in the divisional round, with Brees throwing 462 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions.

The second entry on Brees’ list was the 2017 “Minneapolis Miracle.” In the divisional round, the Saints took on the Vikings, which went to the wire. Eventually, the Vikings won 29-24, with Brees posting 294 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

A year later, a controversial pass interference call in the NFC Championship game tipped the balance in the Los Angeles Rams’ favor. Despite contributing 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception, the Saints lost 26-23 to miss out on yet another Super Bowl.

In 2020, the Saints blew away the Chicago Bears 21-9 in the wild-card round, setting up a high-voltage divisional clash against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brees threw for 134 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in a 30–20 defeat.

Brees noted that football teams are at a big disadvantage compared to basketball and baseball teams, which play best-of-five or best-of-seven series, depending on the circumstances. Meanwhile, NFL teams only get one shot in the playoffs. Brees said:

We truly had the best team in the league (in four different occasions), and we weren’t able to win. And I think, what’s unique about the NFL [which is] different than the other [major] sports leagues… They have seven game series and we don’t. One game right? So, you have an off day, off night, whatever it is, or just a set of circumstances that don’t go your way and it doesn’t happen, you don’t have a chance to come back.

Drew Brees retired in 2021. He still holds the record for most NFL seasons with 5000 passing yards (5). The Saints legend cemented his legacy when the Pro Football Hall of Fame awarded him the iconic gold jacket in 2026.

Drew Brees’ former coach lauds him for his leadership

Brees is considered one of the best quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL. He has a bust in Canton as proof of his pedigree. Recently, the 47-year-old received a generous shoutout from one of his former coaches.

Drew Brees Admits Painful Career Regret Over NFL Playoff Format Costing Multiple Super Bowl Shots
Drew Brees (Image via IMAGO)

Brian Schottenheimer worked with Brees as the quarterbacks coach of the Los Angeles Chargers for four years (2002 to 2005). Now the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Schottenheimer paid homage to his former quarterback with an intriguing comparison. He said at the recently concluded annual owners meeting:

I pull different things from different guys to this day. But Drew Brees was one of the first guys I coached… I’ve always said, man, Drew Brees is one of the greatest leaders I’ve ever been around. And then I met Dak [Prescott]. They’re on the same level, and I think that’s a compliment to both guys.

Brees won his only ring when he was 31. Dak Prescott recently turned 32, and if they are the same players as Schottenheimer implied, then perhaps the Cowboys might finally end the three-decade-long wait for the Lombardi Trophy to return to Dallas.

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