Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees. Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Drew Brees confesses that he has limited use of his right arm

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/22/23

With the increasing number of injuries to quarterbacks around the NFL this season, several familiar faces like Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan and Robert Griffin III have been linked to several potential QB vacancies, but one name rarely mentioned is Drew Brees.

And now, we may know why.

During an appearance on ESPN’s “Greeny” on Tuesday, Brees disclosed that he’s had to become ambidextrous in his post-retirement life.

“I'll let you in on a little fact: I don't throw with my right arm anymore,” Brees admitted. “My right arm does not work. So, when I throw in the backyard right now, I throw left-handed. I can play pickleball just because it's below the waist. But anything above my shoulders, I've got a hard time with.”

The 44-year-old Brees hasn’t played since Jan. 17, 2020. Injuries limited him to just 23 of a possible 32 games during his final two seasons, but the most notable injury of his career came during his final game with the Chargers in 2005 when he tore his labrum and dislocated his right shoulder against the Denver Broncos.

With the #Saints playing the #Chargers tonight, remember that the course of #NFL history changed when Drew Brees got injured. Since his shoulder injury, Brees has taken New Orleans to heights that the Chargers haven’t been in decades. pic.twitter.com/jaSzSjDq3M
— Chris Rosvoglou (@RosvoglouReport) August 25, 2018

The injury occurred when 325-pound Broncos defensive tackle Gerard Warren fell on Brees as he dove for a loose football after fumbling near his own goal line. That play is why Brees says he has limited use of his right arm now.

“It's definitely a result of the injury that I suffered when I left San Diego,” he added. “The dislocated right shoulder and all that stuff that I thought I may never play again. So that kind of put me on the fast track to a degenerative shoulder, and all kinds of arthritic changes and stuff like that. But I don't throw with my right arm anymore. If I could, I would absolutely still be playing.”

Brees told the Associated Press last year that he would've played until he was 45 if his arm “wasn't put together with 13 anchors."

More must-reads: