Drew Brees reveals lingering impacts of NFL injury: 'My right arm does not work'

Drew Brees revealed Tuesday that, just three years after retiring from the NFL, he is no longer able to throw with his right arm.

"My right arm does not work," Brees said in an interview on ESPN Radio.

Brees, 44, spoke about the status of his shoulder in response to a question about when an NFL team last contacted him about possibly coming out of retirement. He retired at the conclusion of the 2020 season following a decorated 20-year career with the New Orleans Saints and then-San Diego Chargers.

"It was probably the year after I retired, so 2021. There might have been a feeler or two that was put out there after that," Brees said Tuesday. "But look, I'll let you in on a little fact: I don't throw with my right arm anymore. My right arm does not work. So when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed."

Brees is one of the most decorated quarterbacks in NFL history, a 13-time Pro Bowler who is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2026. He ranks second all-time in both career passing yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571), trailing only Tom Brady in both categories.

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Brees said Tuesday that he believes his current shoulder issues can be traced back to the devastating injury he suffered in 2005, which proved to be his final year in San Diego. While attempting to recover his own fumble, Brees took a hit that he has said not only led to a full dislocation of his throwing shoulder, but also a torn labrum and a partial tear of his rotator cuff.

"That kind of put me on the fast track to a degenerative shoulder, all kinds of arthritic changes and stuff like that," Brees said on ESPN Radio. "So no, I don't throw with my right arm anymore. If I could, I would absolutely still be playing."

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @Tom_Schad.