Monday 15 January 2018 10:42, UK
Drew Brees has vowed to return to the New Orleans Saints after they missed out on a spot in the NFC Championship game.
Saints were beaten 29-24 by the Minnesota Vikings in their NFC divisional playoff game on Sunday after Stefon Diggs scored a 61-yard touchdown in the final seconds.
The 39-year-old quarterback is an unrestricted free agent with a clause in his contract that prevents the Saints from using the franchise tag on him.
But when asked after the game whether he expects to return to the side, he replied: "I do."
He added: "I mean, I'm more towards the end of my career than the beginning, I know that.
"That's all I divulge [about how long I plan on playing]. But the season ends, and this one will sting, but I think you look back at the things we accomplished and some of the memories that were made and the relationships that were built and the way this team came together.
"It really leaves me excited for the future of Saints football."
Brees last re-signed for Saints on a one-year contract extension after the 2016 season.
Despite being "shell-shocked" by the defeat, which Brees compared to Saints' narrow divisional-round loss at San Francisco after the 2011 season, he is remaining positive.
"I'm hoping I'm a part of a few more that I feel that way about and we can make a run at it," Brees said.
"Unfortunately, sometimes experience is a tough teacher, and things happen, and you can go one of two ways with it.
"Does it put you in the tank? Does it pull you apart? Or does it unite you and make you stronger and mould you and strengthen you? That's the outlook I'm taking, and I think that's the outlook that our entire team is taking."
Brees told reporters after the game: "This is tough. You know, I think we're all still a bit shell-shocked as to what happened there at the end.
"We felt pretty good about our odds of winning once we were able to kick the field goal. Just an unfortunate sequence of events there."
