Reports: Drew Brees has torn ligament in thumb, will miss about 6 weeks after surgery
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has been remarkably durable during his career with the team, missing only three games, one to injury, during his 13-plus seasons.
That’s about to change.
Via reports from ESPN and NFL Network, the Pro Bowler has been diagnosed with a torn ligament in the thumb of his throwing hand and will undergo surgery.
The current timeline for his return is six weeks.
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Brees left Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams with 6:44 left in the first quarter; he was injured on a pass play, when his hand met that of Rams All-Pro Aaron Donald on a follow-through.
Brees left the game immediately, and was replaced by Teddy Bridgewater.
The 40-year-old quarterback told media after the game that he was concerned and would remain in Los Angeles to see a hand specialist.
A second ESPN report said Brees knew last night that he would need surgery and he was just deciding who would do the procedure and when.
The Saints play at Seattle on Sunday, and coach Sean Payton now must prepare Bridgewater to face the Seahawks on their home turf, one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.
While Bridgewater is experienced, he did not play particularly well against the Rams, completing 17 of 30 passes for 165 yards. New Orleans did not score a touchdown in the 27-9 loss on Sunday.
Bridgewater started the Saints’ regular-season finale last year, completing 63.6 percent of his passes with one touchdown and one interception in a loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Assuming he starts all of New Orleans’ games during Brees’ absence, it will be the first time since 2015, when he was the Minnesota Vikings’ Pro Bowl starter, that Bridgewater will start multiple games.
The 2014 first-round pick suffered a horrific knee injury just days before the 2016 opener, and the recovery was lengthy. The doctor who operated on Bridgewater said it was “horribly grotesque” inside Bridgewater’s knee when he cut it open.
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