LOS ANGELES — Saints quarterback Drew Brees is out of surgery. The injured QB posted the update Wednesday evening, hours after head coach Sean Payton declined to announce a replacement for him during a call with reporters.
Brees suffered an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand during Sunday's loss against the Los Angeles Rams. Team officials have not specified what the injury is.
Brees' rehabilitation is estimated to take about six weeks, but that timeline could change after surgery. Payton said he would not speculate on the recovery time frame but the team was optimistic.
Brees posted to Instagram about four hours after he originally told fans he was about to head into the operating room.
In his post, Brees said the surgery was a complete success.
"Complete...successful surgery. This is my attempt at giving everybody a 👍" he posted.
In his original message, the Saints quarterback gave thanks to his wife, Brittany, who spent her birthday in the hospital with him for his surgery.
The surgery took place in Los Angeles. In a text message to news outlets including The Associated Press, Brees says he'll dedicate himself to a rehabilitation process to get back to playing as quickly as he can. It's unclear exactly what form that rehab will take.
Just before Brees posted about his surgery, Payton told reporters both Teddy Bridgewater and Taysom Hill will be ready to fill the void against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday.
He declined to say which of the two quarterbacks would be taking Brees' place in the starting lineup for the upcoming game.
When asked about putting Brees on Injured Reserve, Payton said, "I don't think that's the plan."
The game against the Rams Sunday was a disappointment in multiple regards. The Saints quarterback was injured partway through the game, and the team lost for the second time to the Rams, with another botched call by the referees playing into the defeat.