Drew Brees reveals how to be a top QB into your 40s… and why MVP Matthew Stafford, 38, might not have even reached his peak yet
Before he is enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend, legendary NFL star Drew Brees opened up on how difficult it is to play the quarterback position deep into your 30s – and even into your early 40s.
During a Raising Cane’s event in Ohio, the 47-year-old former signal caller gave the Daily Mail a first-hand account of the sacrifice it takes to stay at the top of your game and compete against rivals just coming out of college.
That is exactly what we’re currently seeing from future Canton candidates Aaron Rodgers, 42 and Matthew Stafford, 38, with the latter heading into the 2026 season as the league’s reigning MVP.
Brees, himself MVP in Super Bowl XLIV, played through multiple eras of football that saw the league go from an out-of-touch rest and recovery process to a more mindful approach of repairing the body to counter the weekly grind of a 16, and now 17, game season.
He opened up about his experience of repairing his body on a weekly basis following the severe shoulder injury he suffered back in 2006, when he left the San Diego Chargers and signed with the only team to take a chance on an undersized and injured quarterback, the New Orleans Saints.
‘That shoulder injury in ’06, I knew that at some point there was gonna be a drop,’ Brees said when reflecting on that significant period of his career.
Drew Brees spoke to Daily Mail at a Raising Cane’s event in Canton before his HOF induction
Breens holds his son Baylen above his head after winning the Super Bowl in Miami in Feb 2010
‘So much of that was what was I doing every offseason to rebuild the foundation for the shoulder, and give it the strength and the stability and be as mechanically sound as I possibly could.
‘I just locked in on my recovery and diet and sleep habits and everything that goes into getting your body ready to play the game.’
Brees went on to acknowledge that while a quarterback is in the twilight of their career, it’s possible they are also the best version of themselves, having had decades of polishing their football acumen.
‘I feel like there’s a window of time not until maybe age 35 where you’re still physically able to play at a high level, and when you can match up the physical abilities that you still have with knowledge, experience, wisdom.
‘That’s when you’re riding at this level of elite.’
The NFL has moved on to the league’s next wave of superstar quarterbacks like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams, just to name a few, but Brees emphasized that stacking years upon years of trotting out onto the gridiron is just as important as athletic ability.
After an incredible career, Brees will this weekend be inducted into Pro Football’s Hall of Fame
Brees has revealed that current MVP Matthew Stafford may not have even reached his peak yet
‘I think that’s where the veteran guys have the advantage over the young gunslingers,’ Brees explained.
‘The young guys are invincible as far as their athleticism and what they can put their bodies through and all that stuff, [but] they just don’t have the experience yet, and they gain that with each rep. But, the veteran guys have it all.’
For Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and arguably the most talented player to ever pick up the pigskin, enters his 22nd season under center and his second as a member of the storied Pittsburgh Steelers franchise.
Following Mike Tomlin’s resignation, Rodgers is now reunited with former head coach Mike McCarthy, the same tandem that went on a magical run in 2010-11 to win Super Bowl XLV.
Brees spoke to the media in Canton ahead of one of the most important weekends of his life
And for Matthew Stafford, who will be 39 years old when the next season wraps, he looks to bring another title to the Los Angeles Rams.
Stafford will have a reinforced defense behind him with the Rams blockbuster acquisition of 2025 NFL Defense Player of the Year Myles Garrett joining a ready-to-win roster.
Brees has confidence that the 2025 NFL MVP has several years left to do something special.
‘I’ve told Matthew Stafford directly that you could have three or four of the best years of your career coming up!’