All-time great QB Brees is retiring
NEW ORLEANS >> Saints quarterback Drew Brees, the NFL’s leader in career completions and yards passing, has decided to retire after 20 NFL seasons, including his last 15 with New Orleans.
“Til the very end I exhausted myself to give everything to the Saints organization, my team and the great City of New Orleans,” Brees said in a social media post on Sunday. “We shared some amazing moments together, many of which are emblazoned in our hearts and minds and will forever be a part of us.”
The decision comes after the 42-year-old quarterback won nine of 12 regular-season starts while completing 70.5% of his passes in 2020, and then won a wild-card round playoff game before New Orleans’ season ended with a divisional-round loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay.
Brees missed four games this season with multiple fractured ribs and a collapsed lung. It marked the second straight season Brees had to miss part of a season with an injury after missing just one game because of injury in the previous 13. In 2019, Brees missed five games because of a thumb injury on his throwing hand that required surgery. 49ERS SIGN JUSZCZUK TO DEAL >> The San Francisco 49ers agreed on a five-year, $27 million contract with Kyle Juszczyk that will make him the highest paid fullback in the NFL.
A person familiar with the deal confirmed the terms of the new deal on Sunday night, one day before Juszczyk would be allowed to start talking to other teams before becoming an unrestricted free agent. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the details haven’t been announced by the team.
The deal was first reported by NFL Network.
“So incredibly thankful to be apart of this organization for 5 more years!” Juszczyk said on his Twitter account. “Thank you
Faithful for the continuous support! Looking forward to showing that the juice is always worth the squeeze.”
Juszczyk’s new contract tops the record he set for fullbacks back in 2017 when he signed a $21 million, four-year deal as one of the first additions made by coach Kyle Shanahan. JONES STAYS WITH PACKERS >> Pro Bowl running back Aaron Jones has agreed to a new deal with the Green Bay Packers and won’t be exploring free agency.
Drew Rosenhaus, Jones’ agent, confirmed that his client had agreed on a four-year deal worth $48 million that includes a $13 million signing bonus.
“We anticipated bigger offers in free agency, but Aaron wanted to stay with the Packers,” Rosenhaus said via email.
Golf
THOMAS WINS THE PLAYERS >> Justin Thomas found the right time for a nearperfect performance to put a rough start to the year behind him, rallying from three shots behind with bold play to close with a 4-under 68 and win The Players Championship.
Thomas becomes only the fourth player to win a major, The Players Championship, the FedEx Cup and a World Golf Championship,
and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
He called it as good as he has ever played tee-togreen, and he needed it to outlast Lee Westwood, a hard-luck runner-up for the second straight week. Westwood birdied the final hole for a 72 to finish one shot behind.
KITAYAMA TIES FOR NINTH >> Former Chico High standout Kurt Kitayama shot a 1-under 70 in the final round to finish tied for ninth in the European Tour’s Qatar Masters. He ended up five shots off the lead.
NBA
SOME PELICANS GET VACCINE >> Some players and other members of the New Orleans Pelicans organization have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccinations, following changes in the eligibility standards for Louisiana residents.
The Pelicans said the vaccines were administered Saturday, though they did not disclose who got them. They are the first NBA team to acknowledge a widescale receipt of the vaccine by members of a club.
State officials in Louisiana expanded the list of those who may receive the vaccine last week “to include people who have health conditions that may result in a higher risk of disease” and are over the age of 18.