Saints legend Drew Brees now officially retired

Any hope that New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees may have second thoughts about his retirement evaporated via a Friday news dump. 

The Saints announced Friday that Brees' retirement became official through the NFL transactions wire. There was never any question the 42-year-old was serious about riding off into the sunset after he called it quits in March, but some speculated there was a chance he could contemplate a comeback for one more season because his retirement hadn't yet been confirmed by the league. 

As Josh Alper wrote for Pro Football Talk, though, the delay occurred only to save the Saints some salary-cap space. Brees' salary now carries cap figures of $11.15 million for 2021 and 2022. 

Brees holds the NFL all-time record with 80,358 passing yards and is second behind only Tom Brady with 571 career passing touchdowns. The Saints, meanwhile, have Taysom Hill and former first overall draft pick Jameis Winston competing to replace Brees. 

Earlier this week, Jim Trotter explained for the NFL's website why he believes Winston should earn the gig.