Drew Brees won't let the bitter taste of Sunday's playoff defeat be his last memory on an NFL football field.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback said after the gut-wrenching 26-23 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams that he plots to return in 2019.
"I plan on being here next year and making another run at it," Brees said, via ESPN's Mike Triplett.
Brees added: "My mind's not even there right now. So this is all pretty fresh. But [I'm] just going to take a few days to kind of let it all settle in, talk with my teammates and my coaches. But I plan on being here next year and making another run at it."
Brees, who turned 40 years old on Tuesday, enjoyed an MVP-caliber 2018 season before stumbling a bit down the stretch. The 18-year pro finished the season with a personal-best 115.7 passer rating while completing an outrageous 74.4 percent of his passes.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback has one year remaining on the two-year contract signed last offseason.
The Saints' last two seasons have ended in brutal fashion, with last season's "Minneapolis Miracle" leading into one of the biggest non-penalty calls in NFL history on Sunday.
"Listen, it has to drive you," Brees said of the way the Saints' last two seasons ended. "Obviously it stings right now, and it will probably for a while. But as we look back on the 2018 New Orleans Saints, man, this was a special team and this was a special year."
Brees will be back to attempt to take that special team one step further in 2019.
