If this is it for Drew Brees, he’ll be leaving the NFL with a mountain of respect from players around the league. That extends to his former teammates, like Jimmy Graham — who thanked the New Orleans Saints quarterback for showing him the ropes, saying “I’m proud to be one of your greatest creations.” Brees connected with Graham on 54 touchdown passes back in the day, including the playoffs, and it’s obvious Graham still harbors a lot of goodwill towards him.
Another NFL star who saluted Brees was Tyrann Mathieu, who was a big-time high school recruit in New Orleans at the time Brees was first turning the Saints around.