New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees underwent surgery on Wednesday on his injured right thumb, he reported on Instagram.
“Complete…successful surgery. This is my attempt at giving everybody a (thumb’s up),” he captioned a photo that showed him with a smile on his face and a heavily wrapped right, throwing hand.
The Saints have not given a timetable for his return, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported he is expected to miss six weeks.
The 40-year-old Brees was injured in Sunday’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams after hitting his hand on Aaron Donald’s hand while following through on a throw.
Brees, a second-round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, has missed just one game because of injury since joining the Saints in 2006, which came in 2015 due to a shoulder issue. He has missed just two other contests of a possible 210 with the Saints, both while resting in Week 17 with the team’s playoff position secure.
The league’s all-time leading passer needs 155 yards to become the first in NFL history to pass for 75,000 yards. He is 18 passing touchdowns shy of leapfrogging Peyton Manning (539) for most all-time, though New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is tied with Brees at 522.
