1. Early life and education
Drew Brees's personal background, including his family, early athletic endeavors, and collegiate career, shaped his path to professional football.
1.1. Childhood and family background
Drew Brees was born on January 15, 1979, in Dallas, Texas. His parents, Eugene Wilson "Chip" Brees II and Mina Ruth (née Akins), were both attorneys. His grandfather fought in the Battle of Okinawa. While a Sports Illustrated article suggested he was named after Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson, Brees clarified in a 2014 interview that this was "just legend." He has a younger brother, Reid (born 1981). When Brees was seven, his parents divorced, sharing custody of the boys, who would split their time between both homes. Brees later stated that this period was tough but fostered a close bond with his brother. They also have a younger half-sister, Audrey, from his father's remarriage to Amy Hightower, daughter of the late U.S. Representative Jack English Hightower. Brees was raised Baptist.
Both of Brees's parents had athletic backgrounds; his father played basketball at Texas A&M, and his mother was an all-state athlete in three sports during high school. His maternal uncle, Marty Akins, was an All-American starting quarterback for the Texas Longhorns from 1972 to 1975. His maternal grandfather, Ray Akins, achieved the third-most victories as a Texas high school football coach during his three decades at Gregory-Portland High School. His younger brother, Reid, was an outfielder for the Baylor Bears baseball team that reached the 2005 College World Series, and now works in sales in Colorado. Brees has a birthmark on the right side of his face, which reportedly led to bullying during his youth.
1.2. High school and pre-college athletics
After moving to the Austin area, Brees did not play tackle football until high school, having previously played on a flag football team at St. Andrew's Episcopal School where actor Ben McKenzie was a teammate. In high school, Brees was a varsity letterman in baseball, basketball, and football, and even considered playing college baseball over football. His college recruitment was affected after he sustained a knee injury in 11th grade. Despite this setback, after recovering from an ACL tear, he was selected as the Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996. He led the Austin Westlake High School football team to a 16-0 record and a state championship in 1996, defeating a Dominic Rhodes-led Abilene Cooper team 55-15 in the title game.
As a high school football player, Brees completed 314 of 490 passes (64.1%) for 5,461 yards with 50 touchdowns. In his senior season, he completed 211 of 333 passes (63.4%) for 3,528 yards with 31 touchdowns. During his two seasons as a starter, Westlake achieved a 28-0-1 record. He received an honorable mention in the state high school all-star football team and the USA Today All-USA high school football team, alongside future San Diego Chargers teammate LaDainian Tomlinson. Although Brees had hoped to play for the Texas Longhorns or Texas A&M Aggies, following his father's and uncle's footsteps, he was not heavily recruited by these in-state programs despite his stellar high school record.
1.3. College career
Brees ultimately received scholarship offers from only two colleges: Purdue and the University of Kentucky. He chose Purdue, citing its highly rated academics. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in industrial management and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
After a relatively quiet freshman season, Brees was named the starting quarterback during his sophomore year by Boilermakers head coach Joe Tiller. He quickly became a pivotal figure in Tiller and Jim Chaney's distinctive "basketball on grass" spread offense, serving as offensive captain during his junior and senior years. In the 1998 season, against the Wisconsin Badgers, Brees tied an NCAA single-game record with 55 completions and set an NCAA record with 83 pass attempts, finishing with 494 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in a 31-24 loss. He had the option to enter the 2000 NFL draft but chose to return for his senior year to complete his studies.
In 2000, Brees led the Boilermakers to memorable upsets against top-ranked teams like Ohio State and Michigan. These victories helped Purdue secure its first Big Ten championship since 1967 (shared with Michigan and Northwestern). The Ohio State game, replayed on ESPN Classic, is particularly remembered for Brees's four interceptions and a decisive 64-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales with just under two minutes remaining, sealing a 31-27 victory and prompting a post-game field rush. Brees's performance propelled Purdue to a No. 9 ranking in the AP Poll, their highest since 1980. Due to head-to-head victories, Purdue earned an invitation to the 2001 Rose Bowl, the school's first appearance since 1967.
Brees was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award in 1999, recognizing the nation's best quarterback. In 2000, he won the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player and the NCAA's Today's Top VIII Award as part of the Class of 2001. He also finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1999 and third in 2000. As a senior, Brees earned Academic All-America honors, becoming the first Boilermaker since Bruce Brineman in 1989 to do so. He also received Academic All-Big Ten honors a record three times, was initiated into Mortar Board, awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award, and won Purdue's Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication.
During his college career, Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. He departed Purdue holding Big Ten Conference records for passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), total offensive yards (12,693), completions (1,026), and attempts (1,678). He tied an NCAA record with a 99-yard pass to receiver Vinny Sutherland against Northwestern in 1999 and held the NCAA record for pass attempts in a game (83) for 15 years until Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday broke it in 2013.
In 2009, Brees was inducted into Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. The Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year award, established in 2011, was named in his and Bob Griese's honor. He was recognized as the Big Ten's best quarterback of the 1990s and was ranked 48th on the 2010 documentary Big Ten Icons, which highlighted the conference's top fifty student-athletes.
1.3.1. College statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | TD | Int | |||
| 1997 | Purdue | 8 | 19 | 43 | 44.2 | 232 | 0 | 1 |
| 1998 | Purdue | 13 | 361 | 569 | 63.4 | 3,983 | 39 | 20 |
| 1999 | Purdue | 12 | 337 | 554 | 60.8 | 3,909 | 25 | 12 |
| 2000 | Purdue | 12 | 309 | 512 | 60.4 | 3,668 | 26 | 12 |
| Total | 45 | 1,026 | 1,678 | 61.1 | 11,792 | 90 | 45 | |
2. Professional career
Drew Brees's professional football career spanned two decades in the NFL, marked by initial challenges, a career-altering injury, and ultimately, unparalleled success with the New Orleans Saints.
Brees measured 6 in and weighed 213 lb (213 lb) at the NFL Combine. He ran a 40-yard dash in 4.83 seconds, had a 1.66-second 10-yard split, a 2.75-second 20-yard split, a 4.21-second shuttle, a 7.09-second cone drill, a 32 in vertical jump, and a 8 in broad jump. His arm span was 31 in and his hand span was 10.25 in. He scored 28 on the Wonderlic test.
2.1. San Diego Chargers (2001-2005)
Brees's NFL journey began with the San Diego Chargers, where he faced early struggles and a significant injury before finding his stride.
2.1.1. 2001 NFL Draft and early years
Despite his college success, Brees was projected as a mid-to-late first-round draft pick in the 2001 NFL draft due to concerns about his relatively short stature for a professional quarterback (6 ft) and a perceived lack of arm strength. He was eventually selected by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick of the second round (32nd overall), becoming the second quarterback chosen after Michael Vick. The Chargers had originally held the first overall pick but traded it to the Atlanta Falcons (who then drafted Vick) in exchange for the fifth pick of the first round, which they used to draft LaDainian Tomlinson.
In his rookie season, Brees served as the backup to Doug Flutie, who started all 16 games. Brees made his professional debut on November 4, 2001, against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, relieving Flutie, who had sustained a concussion. He finished the game with 221 passing yards and recorded his first career passing touchdown, a 20-yard pass to Freddie Jones. This was Brees's only appearance as a rookie.
On August 19, 2002, Brees was named the starting quarterback for the 2002 season over Doug Flutie. He started all 16 games, and the Chargers began the season strong with a 6-1 record. However, they faded in the latter half, finishing 8-8 after a 2-7 run in their final nine games. Brees concluded the 2002 season with 3,284 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
In Week 4 of the 2003 season, Brees recorded a 21-yard touchdown reception on a pass thrown by LaDainian Tomlinson in a 34-31 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders. After a disappointing 1-7 start to the season, Brees was replaced by Flutie, though he regained the starting job by Week 15. In 11 games, he finished with 2,108 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, and 15 interceptions.
2.1.2. Breakout season and injury (2004-2005)
Brees's future with the Chargers became uncertain after San Diego acquired NC State's Philip Rivers in the 2004 NFL Draft. Despite the looming quarterback controversy, Brees performed well during training camp and the preseason, while Rivers held out, effectively guaranteeing Brees the starting position for the beginning of the season.
Brees remained the starter throughout the 2004 season, leading the team to a 12-4 regular season record in 15 starts. In Week 8, against the Oakland Raiders, he completed 22 of 25 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-14 victory, earning his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. Brees posted impressive statistics, completing 65.5% of his passes for 3,159 yards, with 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, resulting in a 104.8 passer rating. The Chargers won the AFC West for the first time in ten seasons, and Brees was selected to the 2004 Pro Bowl. He was also named the 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year. In the Wild Card Round against the New York Jets, Brees threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in a 20-17 overtime loss.
After the 2004 season, Brees became a free agent, and it was widely expected that he would not return to San Diego due to the significant financial commitment already made to Rivers. However, the team designated Brees a franchise player, offering him a one-year, 8.00 M USD contract for 2005, which quadrupled his previous pay. Under this contract, Brees was eligible to be traded or sign with another team, but the Chargers would receive two future first-round draft picks in return. No trade materialized, and he continued as the starting quarterback for the entire 2005 season.
After a 1-2 start, Brees led the Chargers to a 41-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Week 4, completing 19 of 24 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He achieved a career-high 3,576 passing yards for the season, finishing with an 89.2 passer rating, which was 10th best in the NFL. However, in the final game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees sustained a potentially career-ending injury. He tore his labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder while attempting to recover his own fumble after being hit by Broncos safety John Lynch. Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, causing the injury. Brees underwent arthroscopic surgery on January 5, 2006, performed by Dr. James Andrews, to repair the torn labrum. Subsequent reports indicated additional partial rotator cuff damage, and he also received treatment from Dr. Saby Szajowitz to regain muscle movement. After the season, the Chargers offered Brees a five-year, 50.00 M USD contract that included only 2.00 M USD in base salary for the first year, with the remainder heavily dependent on performance incentives.
2.2. New Orleans Saints (2006-2020)
Drew Brees's tenure with the New Orleans Saints transformed both his career and the franchise, leading to a Super Bowl victory and numerous individual records.
After the Chargers declined to increase their contract offer, Brees explored options with other teams, specifically the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins, however, harbored concerns about the complete recovery of Brees's shoulder injury, with their doctors advising against signing him. This led the Dolphins to end negotiations and instead trade for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Brees subsequently signed a six-year, 60.00 M USD deal with the Saints on March 14, 2006. The Dolphins' decision to pass on Brees ultimately contributed to coach Nick Saban's resignation and departure to Alabama.
2.2.1. Arrival in New Orleans and immediate impact (2006)
Brees had an impactful first year with the Saints. Under first-year head coach Sean Payton, the team made a remarkable turnaround from its disastrous 2005 season, when they were displaced from New Orleans due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and struggled to a 3-13 record. In 2006, the Saints finished with a 10-6 regular season record, winning the NFC South division title and securing the NFC's second seed along with a first-round bye.
On November 5, in a 31-14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees threw for 314 passing yards and three touchdowns, earning his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. On November 19, in a 31-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded a career-high 510 passing yards, along with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His 510 passing yards set a single-game franchise record and was the sixth most for a single game in NFL history at the time. In Week 14, a 42-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 384 passing yards and five touchdowns, earning his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award for 2006. Brees finished the season leading the league and setting a franchise record with 4,418 passing yards. He also ranked third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and recorded 11 interceptions, achieving a 96.2 passer rating. Brees was named the starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2007 Pro Bowl and was selected as a First-team All-Pro. On January 5, 2007, he was named first runner-up behind former teammate Tomlinson for league MVP by the Associated Press. Brees and Tomlinson were also co-recipients of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
On January 13, 2007, in his first playoff game for New Orleans, Brees completed 20 of 32 passes for one touchdown and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints secured a 27-24 victory, advancing to the franchise's first NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears. Although he completed 27 of 49 passes for 354 yards and two touchdowns, Brees committed three costly turnovers and was penalized for intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety. The Saints ultimately lost the NFC Championship by a score of 39-14. Brees dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow during the first quarter of the Pro Bowl.
2.2.2. Record-breaking seasons and Super Bowl XLIV (2007-2011)
Brees's second season with the Saints, the 2007 season, began with a challenging 0-4 start, including three losses by at least 17 points. However, the team began a winning streak after Week 5. In Week 8, a 31-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, he recorded 336 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Following their 41-24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the next game, the Saints reached a 4-4 record. In Week 15, a 31-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns, securing another NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. In Week 17, against the Chicago Bears, Brees tied Aaron Brooks's franchise record for pass attempts in a single game with 60 in a 33-25 loss. Overall, in the 2007 season, Brees passed for 4,423 yards, breaking his own record and tying a then-franchise record with 28 touchdowns. He also set an NFL record, previously held by Rich Gannon, for pass completions in a single season with 440. Despite his individual success, the Saints missed the playoffs with a 7-9 record.
In 2008, the Saints again missed the playoffs, but Brees had a statistically strong year, finishing just 15 yd short of the NFL record for passing yards in a single season, set by Dan Marino in 1984. In Week 3, against the Denver Broncos, Brees set a single-game franchise record with 39 pass completions in a 34-32 loss, where he also passed for 421 yards and one touchdown. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September, having accumulated over 300 passing yards and a passer rating above 110 in three of the four games. In Week 6, a 34-3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, he completed 26 of 30 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, a 37-32 victory over the San Diego Chargers, he had 339 passing yards and three touchdowns, earning another NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. In Week 12, a 51-29 win over the Green Bay Packers, he recorded 323 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for 2008. He finished the season with 5,069 yards, becoming only the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season. He passed for 300 yards ten times during the 2008 season, tying Rich Gannon's 2002 record. He was named FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performances in Weeks 8 and 12 and was recognized as the AP 2008 Offensive Player of the Year. He was also selected to his third career Pro Bowl. Brees began serving on the executive committee of the National Football League Players Association this season, a role he maintained through the 2014 season.
In the first game of the 2009 season against the Detroit Lions, Brees set a career-high and franchise-tying record with six touchdown passes, completing 26 of 34 attempts for 358 yards. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. The following week, Brees led the Saints to a 48-22 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, throwing for 311 yards and three touchdown passes. By the end of Week 2, Brees had tied the record for most touchdown passes, with nine touchdowns. After Week 3, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. In Week 6, against the undefeated New York Giants, Brees completed 23 of 30 passes for 369 yards, four touchdown passes, and a near-perfect passer rating of 156.8 in a dominant 48-27 victory, earning his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the season.
In Week 7, Brees orchestrated a dramatic 46-34 comeback victory on the road against the Miami Dolphins. The Saints initially faced a 24-3 deficit in the second quarter, their first time trailing all season. Despite a subpar passing performance, Brees provided two crucial rushing touchdowns, one just before halftime to narrow the deficit to 24-10, and another in the third quarter that gave the Saints their first lead of the game, 37-34. This 21-point comeback tied for the largest in franchise history. The next week, Brees threw for 308 yards on 25 of 33 passing with two touchdowns and one interception, leading the Saints to a 35-27 victory over the rival Atlanta Falcons, securing a franchise-tying best start at 7-0. In Week 9, Brees guided the team to a 30-20 victory over the Carolina Panthers, marking his first victory over the Panthers in the Superdome and giving the Saints their best start in franchise history at 8-0.
In Week 12, Brees led the Saints to an 11-0 record, defeating the New England Patriots 38-17 on Monday Night Football. Brees amassed 371 passing yards, achieving a perfect passer rating of 158.3, and became the first player to throw for five touchdowns against a team coached by Bill Belichick. He earned his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the 2009 season. After close victories over the Washington Redskins and Falcons in successive weeks to reach 13-0, Brees and the Saints suffered their first loss of the season to the Dallas Cowboys, 24-17. The game ended with a late fourth-quarter rally halted by a DeMarcus Ware fumble recovery. The Saints lost their final two regular season games, with Brees sitting out the Week 17 finale against the Carolina Panthers. Their 13-3 record secured the #1 seed in the NFC, setting a new single-season franchise record for victories.
Brees's individual statistics earned him numerous accolades, including a Pro Bowl selection, the Maxwell Football Club's Bert Bell Award, and runner-up finishes in voting for the AP MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, and First-team All-Pro awards. He concluded the season with a completion percentage of 70.62%, establishing a new NFL record, surpassing Ken Anderson's 1982 mark.
In the Divisional Round, Brees recorded 247 passing yards and three touchdowns as the Saints routed the Arizona Cardinals 45-14. In the NFC Championship, the Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime, advancing to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Brees completed 17 of 31 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in that game. The Saints then defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 pass completions and won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns. This marked the first league championship in Saints franchise history. Brees was named the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, recognized for both the Super Bowl victory and his charitable efforts in the reconstruction of New Orleans. On December 17, 2010, he was named AP Male Athlete of the Year. Within four short years of joining the Saints, Brees demonstrated superior accuracy in his throws compared to any previous Saints quarterback. Brees and his teammates were celebrated upon their return to New Orleans with a blues band and thousands of cheering fans.
In the 2010 regular season, Brees passed for over 300 yards seven times and helped lead the Saints to a six-game winning streak late in the season. The Saints qualified for the playoffs with an 11-5 record, but were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Seattle Seahawks in the Beast Quake game, losing 41-36. Brees finished that game with 404 passing yards and two passing touchdowns. Brees was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl, his fourth with the Saints. Statistically, he had a less successful season, throwing a career-high 22 interceptions, tying the franchise record held by Aaron Brooks, though he still managed to throw for 4,620 yards and 33 touchdowns. He was ranked ninth on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 list.
The 2011 season proved to be a record-breaking year for Brees, as he led the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns, achieving the rare "Triple Crown." He broke Dan Marino's 27-year-old record for most passing yards in one season (5,084) in Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Brees also set a new Saints franchise record for passing touchdowns in a season with 46.
In Week 2, during the Saints' home-opener, Brees defeated the Chicago Bears for the first time in his career as a starting quarterback, leaving the Baltimore Ravens as the only NFL team he had not yet beaten. On October 23, in a dominant 62-7 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, he completed 31 of 35 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this performance. On November 28, in a Week 12 49-24 victory over the New York Giants, he recorded 363 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning another NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. In a home game on December 4 against the Detroit Lions, Brees passed for 342 yards, reaching 4,031 yards for the season. This made him the first quarterback in NFL history to surpass the 4,000-yard mark in the first 12 games of a season, and the first to achieve four consecutive seasons with over 4,000 yards and 30+ touchdown passes. In Week 15, against the Minnesota Vikings, Brees threw for 412 yards and five passing touchdowns. With this game, Brees became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for five touchdowns and over 400 yards while maintaining a completion percentage of 80% or higher in a single game.
In Week 16, against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees officially broke Dan Marino's longstanding single-season passing yards record of 5,084 with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles in the fourth quarter. He needed 305 yards entering the game and exceeded that mark with 307. He finished the game with 5,087 total passing yards for the regular season, with one game still remaining. With his second-quarter, eight-yard touchdown pass to Marques Colston, Brees extended his streak of consecutive games with a touchdown pass to 42 games. Marino congratulated Brees via Twitter after the game, and Brees responded, expressing his honor to follow Marino's example. Brees earned his third and final NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor for the 2011 season for his performance against the Falcons.
In Week 17, against the Carolina Panthers, Brees concluded the season by setting six NFL records, finishing the year with 468 completions for 5,476 yards. He edged out Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who also surpassed Marino's record with 5,235 yards. Brees earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. He averaged 342.25 passing yards per game, which broke Dan Fouts's record of 320.3 in the strike-shortened 1982 season. In 2013, Peyton Manning would slightly best Brees's record, finishing with an NFL-record 5,477 passing yards, averaging 342.31 yards per game.
In the NFC Wild Card Round, Brees passed for 466 yards and three passing touchdowns as the Saints defeated the Detroit Lions by a score of 45-28. At the time, Brees's 466 passing yards marked the second-most in a playoff game in NFL history, and he set the NFL record for passing yards in a regulation playoff game. However, Brees and the Saints lost in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 36-32 in a back-and-forth contest. In the loss, Brees passed for 462 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl and was ranked as the second-best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.
2.2.3. Continued excellence and NFL records (2012-2018)
On July 13, 2012, the Saints and Brees agreed to a five-year, 100.00 M USD contract. This contract included the largest amount of guaranteed money in NFL history at the time, totaling 60.00 M USD, with 40.00 M USD paid in the first year.
Due to the year-long suspension of head coach Sean Payton as a result of the Bountygate scandal, Brees entered the 2012 season under a temporary head coach. Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer led the team for the first six games while planned interim coach Joe Vitt served his own suspension. After Week 8, Vitt took over head coaching responsibilities for the remainder of the season.
Brees and the Saints started the season with an 0-4 record. A highlight in that losing streak occurred in Week 4, when he passed for 446 yards and three touchdowns in a narrow 28-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. In Week 5, Brees threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson against his former team, the San Diego Chargers. This was his 48th consecutive game with a touchdown pass, breaking Johnny Unitas's 52-year-old record for consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass. Unitas' son, Joe, was present at the Superdome to witness the record-breaking moment. Sean Payton, Joe Vitt, and Mickey Loomis, who were serving suspensions due to Bountygate, were granted permission to watch this game. Brees earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 370-yard, four-touchdown, and one-interception effort against the Chargers. The Saints ended their losing streak with a 31-24 win over the Chargers.
In the Week 13 game against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees threw no touchdowns and a career-high five interceptions, ending his consecutive game streak with at least one touchdown pass at 54. In Week 14, against the New York Giants, Brees threw for 354 yards, giving him his seventh straight 4,000-yard passing season, surpassing Peyton Manning's mark. It was also his fifth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes and 4,000 yards passing, an NFL record. Brees finished the 2012 season with 5,177 passing yards and 43 touchdowns. Despite his offensive production, the Saints' defense allowed 7,042 yards, an all-time NFL record, and the team finished the season with a 7-9 record, missing the playoffs. For the seventh time, Brees was selected to the 2013 Pro Bowl, this time as an injury replacement for Robert Griffin III. He was ranked 11th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.
Brees and the Saints started the 2013 season with a 5-0 record. In that stretch, a Week 4 38-17 home victory over the Miami Dolphins saw him throw for 413 yards and four touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 10, a 49-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 392 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning another NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. In Week 12, Brees passed Warren Moon for fifth place on the career passing yards list with 49,566. During Week 14, Brees became the fastest player ever to reach the 50,000-yard club, achieving the milestone in 183 games. He was only the fifth player in NFL history to do so, reaching 50,000 yards on a pass to Jimmy Graham in the fourth quarter of a 31-13 win over the Carolina Panthers, a game in which he threw four touchdowns. In Week 17, a 42-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 381 passing yards and four touchdowns, earning his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2013 season. Brees also extended his NFL record to a sixth straight season of at least 30 touchdown passes with 4,000 passing yards, achieved his third straight 5,000-yard season, and his eighth straight 4,000-yard season. For his successful performance in 2013, he was named to his eighth career Pro Bowl. The Saints finished with an 11-5 record and narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 26-24 in the Wild Card Round, but lost 23-15 to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round, who went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII. He was ranked sixth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
Brees admitted that the 2014 season was his "most frustrating." The Saints finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs. Brees's 2014 season began with two consecutive losses decided by game-ending field goals; in Week 1, the Saints lost 37-34 on the road to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime. In Week 2, during a 26-24 road loss to the Cleveland Browns, he moved into fourth place on the career passing yardage list, surpassing John Elway. On October 19, in a road game against the Detroit Lions, Brees became the NFL's all-time leader in completion percentage at 66.21%, surpassing Chad Pennington. On November 30, in a Week 13 35-32 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 257 passing yards and five touchdowns, earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the 20th time in his career (combining awards from both the AFC with the Chargers and the NFC with the Saints). In a Week 15 road game against the Chicago Bears, he extended his streak to an NFL-record seventh straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes and nine straight seasons of 4,000 passing yards. However, his streak of 5,000-yard passing seasons ended at three, as he passed for 4,952 yards, tying him with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for the most passing yards in the league that season-the first time in NFL history that two players tied for the passing yards lead. He was named to his seventh consecutive and ninth career Pro Bowl. He was ranked 30th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.
Brees and the Saints started the 2015 season with an 0-3 record, with two of the losses being by one possession. On October 4, 2015, in Week 4, his 80-yard touchdown pass to C. J. Spiller on the second play of overtime secured a 26-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, marking the team's first win of the season. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort. This touchdown also gave Brees 400 for his career, making him the fifth player in NFL history to reach this milestone, and the fastest ever, doing so in 205 games. Additionally, Brees completed his 5,000th pass with a touchdown to tight end Josh Hill. This was the quickest regular season overtime win in NFL history, at 13 seconds.
On November 1, 2015, Brees tied the NFL record for touchdown passes in a game with seven during a 52-49 Saints win over the New York Giants. In that game, he completed 39-of-50 passes for 505 yards, recording his second career game with at least 500 passing yards. He became the second player in NFL history to have multiple 500-yard passing games. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for this historic performance.
In Week 12, his streak of 45 consecutive games with a touchdown pass ended in a 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans. Two weeks later, he surpassed Dan Marino for fourth in career touchdown passes as the Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a score of 24-17. In Week 15, he became the fourth quarterback to reach the 60,000-yard milestone-doing so in 215 games, the fastest ever-and achieved his 10th straight 4,000-yard season, plus his 94th 300-yard game. This placed him first in most 300-yard games, as he and Peyton Manning had been tied at 93 games prior to that. A week later, his streak extended to an eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes, plus his 95th 300-yarder, all NFL records, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With a Week 17 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Brees finished the season with four straight 300-yard games, for a career record total of 96, and a season total of 4,870 yards passing, leading the league in passing yards for a record sixth time despite missing one game due to an injury. Despite these accomplishments, the Saints finished with a 7-9 record and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. He was ranked 30th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
In the Saints' 2016 season opener, Brees threw a career-high 98-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks in a narrow 35-34 home loss to the Oakland Raiders. He finished the game 28-of-42 for 423 yards and four touchdown passes. His 400-yard performance tied him with Peyton Manning for the most 400-yard passing games in NFL history. The next week, he passed Dan Marino for third place in career passing yards in a loss to the New York Giants.
On October 16, in Week 6, Brees threw for 465 yards and four touchdown passes with one interception in a 41-38 home win over the Carolina Panthers. With this performance, Brees set an NFL record with his 15th career 400-yard passing game. Brees also reached another milestone in the game, becoming the sixth player to record 50,000 passing yards with one team, joining Peyton Manning (Indianapolis Colts), Brett Favre (Green Bay Packers), Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins), Tom Brady (New England Patriots), and John Elway (Denver Broncos). In Week 7, Brees became the first player in NFL history with 100 games of 300+ passing yards, in a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 23. During Week 16, Brees and Aaron Rodgers tied the NFL record for most seasons with at least 35 touchdown passes with four-a record shared with Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Brees finished the 2016 season leading the league in passing yards with 5,208, the second most of his career and his fifth 5,000-yard season-more than all other 5,000-yard seasons combined (4). He threw for 471 completions, breaking his own NFL record of 468 set in 2011, and a career-high 673 attempts. Brees finished third in touchdown passes with 37, the fourth most of his career. He finished second in completion percentage (70.0%), making it the third time he had completed at least 70% of his passes in a season. Despite his performance, for the third straight season, the Saints finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs. He was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl for his 2016 season and was ranked 16th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
Brees and the Saints started the 2017 season with an 0-2 record before winning eight consecutive games. In Week 13, he passed Peyton Manning for second place in career completions in a 31-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. On December 19, 2017, Brees was named to his 11th career Pro Bowl. During Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees became the third player to amass over 70,000 passing yards in a career, doing so in an NFL-fastest 248 games. In that game, he earned his 12th consecutive 4,000-yard season as the Saints won 23-13. Brees finished the 2017 season by setting a then-NFL record with a 72.0 completion percentage. He led the league in number of completions (386) and yards per pass attempt (8.1), and finished second in passer rating (103.9).
The Saints finished with an 11-5 record, won the NFC South, and returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2013 season. In the Wild Card Round against the Carolina Panthers, he had 376 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 31-26 victory. In the Divisional Round against the Minnesota Vikings, he had 294 passing yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 29-24 loss. He was ranked eighth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
On March 13, 2018, Brees signed a two-year, 50.00 M USD contract extension with the Saints, with 27.00 M USD guaranteed.
In Week 1 of the 2018 season, Brees threw for more than 400 yards for a record 16th time in his career, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won 48-40. In Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees broke Brett Favre's record for career pass completions in the second quarter with his 6,301st career completion. In that game, a 43-37 overtime Saints victory, Brees threw for 396 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for two more scores, including the game-winner in overtime, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 5, on Monday Night Football against the Washington Redskins, Brees surpassed Peyton Manning for the NFL's all-time passing yardage record with a 62-yard touchdown pass to Tre'Quan Smith late in the second quarter. He went on to complete 26 of 29 passes, setting a then-career-high 89.66% single-game completion percentage, for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the 43-19 victory, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Following a bye week, Brees claimed his first career victory against the Baltimore Ravens with a score of 24-23, making him the third quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 teams, joining Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. During this game, Brees also became the fourth quarterback in NFL history, along with Manning, Favre, and Tom Brady, to reach 500 career touchdown passes when he threw a 1-yard touchdown to Benjamin Watson. After a season-low 120 yards and his first interception of the season in a win over the Minnesota Vikings, Brees logged 346 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions to hand the Rams their first loss of the season in Week 9. In a Week 10 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, Brees passed Brett Favre for second in career passing touchdowns with a 17-yard touchdown to Michael Thomas in a 51-14 victory. Brees was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for November, passing for 16 touchdowns to two interceptions in that stretch.
Brees finished the season with 364 completions, 489 attempts, 3,992 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions over 15 games. He sat out the season finale after the Saints had clinched the NFC's #1 seed the week prior. He set an NFL record for completion percentage (74.4%), breaking his previous record (72.0%) set in 2017, and led the league in passer rating (a career high of 115.7). However, with his 3,992 yards, his NFL record streak of 12 consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards came to an end. He led the league with six fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives.
In the Divisional Round against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Saints started badly, quickly falling into a 14-0 hole, but recovered and scored 20 unanswered points over the final three quarters to win and advance to their first NFC Championship Game since their 2009 Super Bowl-winning season. Brees completed 28 of 38 passes for 301 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the win. In the NFC Championship, Brees passed for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Saints lost 26-23 in overtime to the Los Angeles Rams following a controversial missed pass interference call on a play that started at the Rams' 13-yard line with 1:49 left in regulation. If called, the penalty could have allowed the Saints to run out most of the clock, due to the Rams having only one timeout remaining, and attempt a go-ahead field goal that would have likely won the game for New Orleans. Brees became the first and only player in NFL history to throw touchdown passes to 15 different players (of which nine were undrafted) in a single season, including the playoffs. He finished second in the MVP voting to Patrick Mahomes and was ranked as the second-best player in the NFL by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2.2.4. Later career and retirement (2019-2020)
In the first game of the 2019 season, a Monday Night Football match against the Houston Texans, Brees threw for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Saints overcame a slow start to win 30-28. In the Saints' Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Brees suffered an injury to his right hand on a hit from Aaron Donald, which forced him out of the game. The next day, an MRI revealed that Brees had suffered a torn ligament in the thumb of his right hand, requiring surgery and reportedly causing him to miss six to eight weeks.
Brees returned in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with 373 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Saints won 31-9. In Week 14, against the San Francisco 49ers, Brees completed 29 of 40 passes for 349 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown, but his efforts were in vain as the Saints narrowly lost 48-46. During Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, Brees broke former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's record for most career touchdowns, throwing his 540th to tight end Josh Hill on his career-best 20th straight completion in the third quarter. Brees's record-breaking touchdown pass was his third touchdown pass on the night. He finished the game with four touchdowns and 304 yards as the Saints defeated the Colts by a 34-7 score. In addition, Brees completed 29 of his 30 pass attempts for a career high and NFL single-game record 96.7% completion percentage rate, surpassing the previous record (28 out of 29 passes for a 96.6% completion percentage rate) which had been set the previous year by his former Chargers teammate Philip Rivers. In the following week's game against the Tennessee Titans, Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns during the 38-28 win. During the game, Brees helped wide receiver Michael Thomas break the single-season receptions record formerly held by Marvin Harrison with his 144th catch of the season. Brees earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month for December. In the 2019 season, Brees appeared in 11 games and finished with 2,979 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He finished with a completion percentage of 74.34%, which ranked second in NFL history to his record from the previous season.
In the Wild Card Round against the Minnesota Vikings, Brees threw for 208 yards, one touchdown, and one interception during the 26-20 overtime loss. In the game, Brees helped lead the Saints on a late drive to set up a game-tying field goal on a seven-play drive to force the overtime period. He earned his 13th career Pro Bowl nomination after Russell Wilson gave up his spot and was ranked 12th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
On March 17, 2020, Brees signed a two-year, 50.00 M USD contract extension with the Saints.
In the Saints' 2020 regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their new quarterback Tom Brady, Brees completed 18 of 30 passes for 160 passing yards and two touchdowns, breaking Brett Favre's record for most career pass attempts in the process, as the Saints won by a score of 34-23. Following the Week 1 victory, Brees helped lead the Saints to a 5-2 stretch leading into a second matchup with Brady in Week 9. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, he passed for 222 yards and four touchdowns in the 38-3 victory. With the win over the Buccaneers, Brees defeated Brady head-to-head for the second time.
On November 15, 2020, Brees left the Saints' Week 10 game against the San Francisco 49ers following the first half with a rib injury suffered on a sack attempt from Kentavius Street. Brees completed 8 of 13 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown before leaving the game. The next day, it was revealed Brees had suffered multiple broken ribs and a collapsed lung from the hits he had taken during the game. On November 20, 2020, Brees was placed on injured reserve, thereby ruling him out for at least the following three games. After missing four games, Brees was activated on December 19, 2020, for the Saints' Week 15 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and threw for 234 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. During the Saints' 32-29 loss, Brees surpassed former Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback Anthony Calvillo for first place in career passing yards in any professional outdoor gridiron football league. During the Saints' next game against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day, Brees became the first quarterback in history to record 80,000 career passing yards as New Orleans won 52-33 to clinch a fourth straight NFC South title. Overall, he finished the 2020 season with 2,942 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions in twelve games, with the Saints finishing with a 12-4 record.
In the Wild Card Round against the Chicago Bears, Brees threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns during the 21-9 win. In the Divisional Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees threw for 134 yards and a touchdown but also threw three interceptions in a 30-20 loss.
On February 6, 2021, the Saints renegotiated Brees's contract, reducing his salary to 1.07 M USD for the upcoming season to save salary cap space. On March 14, 2021, exactly 15 years to the day that Brees signed his first contract with the New Orleans Saints, Brees announced his retirement after twenty seasons. That evening, the exterior wall of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome displayed "THANK YOU DREW" along with his long-worn jersey number, 9. The Saints placed him on their reserve/retired list on June 11, 2021.
2.3. Career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year | |
| Super Bowl MVP | |
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| NFL record | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
2.3.1. Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games played | Games started | Record as a starting quarterback | Passes completed | Passes attempted | Completion percentage | Passing yards | Yards per passing attempt | Passing yards per game | Longest pass completion | Passing touchdowns | Passing interceptions | Passer rating | Rushing attempts | Rushing yards | Yards per rushing attempt | Longest rushing attempt | Rushing touchdowns | Times sacked | Yards lost due to sacks | Fumbles | Fumbles lost | ||
| 2001 | SD | 1 | 0 | - | 15 | 27 | 55.6 | 221 | 8.2 | 221.0 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 94.8 | 2 | 18 | 9.0 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | SD | 16 | 16 | 8-8 | 320 | 526 | 60.8 | 3,284 | 6.2 | 205.3 | 52 | 17 | 16 | 76.9 | 38 | 130 | 3.4 | 15 | 1 | 24 | 180 | 2 | 0 |
| 2003 | SD | 11 | 11 | 2-9 | 205 | 356 | 57.6 | 2,108 | 5.9 | 191.6 | 68 | 11 | 15 | 67.5 | 21 | 84 | 4.0 | 18 | 0 | 21 | 178 | 5 | 3 |
| 2004 | SD | 15 | 15 | 11-4 | 262 | 400 | 65.5 | 3,159 | 7.9 | 210.6 | 79 | 27 | 7 | 104.8 | 35 | 85 | 1.6 | 22 | 2 | 18 | 131 | 7 | 2 |
| 2005 | SD | 16 | 16 | 9-7 | 323 | 500 | 64.6 | 3,576 | 7.2 | 223.5 | 54 | 24 | 15 | 89.2 | 21 | 49 | 2.3 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 223 | 8 | 5 |
| 2006 | NO | 16 | 16 | 10-6 | 356 | 554 | 64.3 | 4,418 | 8.0 | 276.1 | 86 | 26 | 11 | 96.2 | 42 | 32 | 0.8 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 105 | 8 | 3 |
| 2007 | NO | 16 | 16 | 7-9 | 440 | 652 | 67.5 | 4,423 | 6.8 | 276.4 | 58 | 28 | 18 | 89.4 | 23 | 52 | 2.3 | 9 | 1 | 16 | 109 | 9 | 4 |
| 2008 | NO | 16 | 16 | 8-8 | 413 | 635 | 65.0 | 5,069 | 8.0 | 316.8 | 84 | 34 | 17 | 96.2 | 23 | -1 | 0.0 | 9 | 0 | 13 | 92 | 6 | 1 |
| 2009 | NO | 15 | 15 | 13-2 | 363 | 514 | 70.6 | 4,388 | 8.5 | 292.5 | 75 | 34 | 11 | 109.6 | 22 | 33 | 1.5 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 135 | 10 | 6 |
| 2010 | NO | 16 | 16 | 11-5 | 448 | 658 | 68.1 | 4,620 | 7.0 | 288.8 | 80 | 33 | 22 | 90.9 | 18 | -3 | -0.2 | 7 | 0 | 25 | 185 | 9 | 2 |
| 2011 | NO | 16 | 16 | 13-3 | 468 | 657 | 71.2 | 5,476 | 8.3 | 342.3 | 79 | 46 | 14 | 110.6 | 21 | 86 | 4.1 | 20 | 1 | 24 | 158 | 1 | 1 |
| 2012 | NO | 16 | 16 | 7-9 | 422 | 670 | 63.0 | 5,177 | 7.7 | 323.6 | 80 | 43 | 19 | 96.3 | 15 | 5 | 0.3 | 11 | 1 | 26 | 190 | 5 | 1 |
| 2013 | NO | 16 | 16 | 11-5 | 446 | 650 | 68.6 | 5,162 | 7.9 | 322.6 | 76 | 39 | 12 | 104.7 | 35 | 52 | 1.5 | 16 | 3 | 37 | 244 | 6 | 2 |
| 2014 | NO | 16 | 16 | 7-9 | 456 | 659 | 69.2 | 4,952 | 7.5 | 309.5 | 69 | 33 | 17 | 97.0 | 27 | 68 | 2.5 | 13 | 1 | 29 | 186 | 7 | 3 |
| 2015 | NO | 15 | 15 | 7-8 | 428 | 627 | 68.3 | 4,870 | 7.8 | 324.7 | 80 | 32 | 11 | 101.0 | 24 | 14 | 0.6 | 12 | 1 | 31 | 235 | 5 | 2 |
| 2016 | NO | 16 | 16 | 7-9 | 471 | 673 | 70.0 | 5,208 | 7.7 | 325.5 | 98 | 37 | 15 | 101.7 | 23 | 20 | 0.9 | 7 | 2 | 27 | 184 | 5 | 4 |
| 2017 | NO | 16 | 16 | 11-5 | 386 | 536 | 72.0 | 4,334 | 8.1 | 270.9 | 54 | 23 | 8 | 103.9 | 33 | 12 | 0.4 | 7 | 2 | 20 | 145 | 5 | 0 |
| 2018 | NO | 15 | 15 | 13-2 | 364 | 489 | 74.4 | 3,992 | 8.2 | 266.1 | 72 | 32 | 5 | 115.7 | 31 | 22 | 0.7 | 11 | 4 | 17 | 121 | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 | NO | 11 | 11 | 8-3 | 281 | 378 | 74.3 | 2,979 | 7.9 | 270.8 | 61 | 27 | 4 | 116.3 | 9 | -4 | -0.4 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 89 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | NO | 12 | 12 | 9-3 | 275 | 390 | 70.5 | 2,942 | 7.5 | 245.2 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 106.4 | 18 | -2 | -0.1 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 89 | 6 | 2 |
| Career | 287 | 286 | 172-114 | 7,142 | 10,551 | 67.7 | 80,358 | 7.6 | 280.0 | 98 | 571 | 243 | 98.7 | 498 | 752 | 1.5 | 22 | 25 | 420 | 2,991 | 111 | 42 | |
2.3.2. Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Games played | Games started | Record as a starting quarterback | Passes completed | Passes attempted | Completion percentage | Passing yards | Yards per passing attempt | Passing yards per game | Longest pass completion | Passing touchdowns | Passing interceptions | Passer rating | Rushing attempts | Rushing yards | Yards per rushing attempt | Longest rushing attempt | Rushing touchdowns | Times sacked | Yards lost due to sacks | Fumbles | Fumbles lost | ||
| 2004 | SD | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 31 | 42 | 73.8 | 319 | 7.6 | 319.0 | 44 | 2 | 1 | 101.2 | 5 | 17 | 3.4 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 47 | 81 | 58.0 | 597 | 7.4 | 298.5 | 88 | 3 | 1 | 88.3 | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 51 | 3 | 2 |
| 2009 | NO | 3 | 3 | 3-0 | 72 | 102 | 70.6 | 732 | 7.2 | 244.0 | 44 | 8 | 0 | 117.0 | 5 | -4 | -0.8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | NO | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 39 | 60 | 65.0 | 404 | 6.7 | 404.0 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 95.4 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 73 | 106 | 68.9 | 928 | 8.8 | 464.0 | 66 | 7 | 2 | 110.1 | 5 | 4 | 0.8 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 34 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 44 | 73 | 60.3 | 559 | 7.7 | 279.5 | 52 | 2 | 2 | 81.9 | 5 | 13 | 2.6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 48 | 73 | 65.8 | 670 | 9.2 | 335.0 | 80 | 5 | 3 | 100.8 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 54 | 78 | 69.2 | 550 | 7.2 | 275.0 | 43 | 4 | 2 | 95.6 | 5 | -2 | -0.4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 25 | 2 | 0 |
| 2019 | NO | 1 | 1 | 0-1 | 26 | 33 | 78.8 | 208 | 6.3 | 208.0 | 20 | 1 | 1 | 90.4 | 1 | 5 | 5.0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 1 |
| 2020 | NO | 2 | 2 | 1-1 | 47 | 73 | 64.4 | 399 | 5.5 | 199.5 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 75.1 | 5 | 5 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career | 18 | 18 | 9-9 | 481 | 721 | 66.7 | 5,366 | 7.4 | 298.1 | 88 | 37 | 15 | 97.1 | 40 | 50 | 1.3 | 8 | 0 | 29 | 206 | 14 | 4 | |
3. Post-playing career
After concluding his distinguished playing career, Drew Brees embarked on new ventures in broadcasting and coaching.
3.1. Broadcasting and coaching roles
Following his retirement from the NFL, Brees was hired by NBC Sports to serve as the color analyst for the network's Notre Dame games and on Football Night in America, working in the booth alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico. He left NBC after one season on May 15, 2022. He subsequently returned to Purdue as an interim assistant football coach in 2022.
4. Awards and honors
Drew Brees received numerous awards and honors throughout his college and professional football careers, recognizing his exceptional performance and leadership.
4.1. College awards
- Maxwell Award (2000)
- 2× Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year (1998, 2000)
- NCAA Today's Top VIII Award (Class of 2001)
- NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award (2000)
- Academic All-America (2000)
- 3× Academic All-Big Ten (record)
- Big Ten Medal of Honor (2001)
- Purdue's Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication (2000)
- Davey O'Brien Award finalist (1999)
- Heisman Trophy voting: 4th (1999), 3rd (2000)
- Purdue Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame (2009)
- Big Ten's best quarterback of the 1990s
- Griese-Brees Quarterback of the Year award (named in his honor, 2011)
4.2. NFL awards
- Super Bowl champion (XLIV)
- Super Bowl MVP (XLIV)
- NFC champion (2009)
- 13× Pro Bowl (2004, 2006, 2008-2014, 2016-2019)
- 25× AFC/NFC Offensive Player of the Week
- 5× NFC Offensive Player of the Month
- First-team All-Pro (2006)
- 4× Second-team All-Pro (2008, 2009, 2011, 2018)
- 2× NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2008, 2011)
- Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year (2010)
- Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year (2010)
- Bert Bell Award (2009)
- Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2006)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2004)
- Art Rooney Award (2018)
- NFLPA Alan Page Community Award (2012)
- Bart Starr Award (2011)
4.3. Records
Drew Brees holds numerous NFL and New Orleans Saints franchise records for his exceptional performance and longevity.
4.3.1. National Football League records
- Most passing touchdowns, single game (7) (tied with 7 others)
- Best pass completion percentage, single season (74.4% in 2018)
- 2nd most passing yards, season: 5,476 (2011)
- Most 5,000 yard seasons: 5
- Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass: 54
- Most seasons as passing yards leader: 7
- Most 400-yard passing games: 16
- First player with 100 games of 300+ passing yards
- Most seasons with at least 35 touchdown passes: 4 (tied)
- Most career 300-yard passing games: 96
- Fastest to 400 career passing touchdowns (205 games)
- Fastest to 50,000 career passing yards (183 games)
- Fastest to 70,000 career passing yards (248 games)
- First quarterback to record 80,000 career passing yards
- Most career passing yards in any professional outdoor gridiron football league (surpassing Anthony Calvillo)
- Most touchdown passes to different players in a single season, including playoffs (15 different players)
- First quarterback to throw for five touchdowns, 400+ yards, while maintaining an 80%+ completion percentage in a game.
4.3.2. New Orleans Saints franchise records
- Passing yards, career (68,010)
- Passing yards, single game (510)
- Passing touchdowns, career (491)
- Pass completions, career (6,017)
- Pass completions, single game (39) (achieved four times)
- Pass attempts, career (8,742)
- Pass attempts, single game (60)
- Passing yards, single season (5,476) (2011)
- Passing touchdowns, single season (46) (2011)
- Pass completions, single season (471) (2016)
- Pass attempts, single season (673) (2016)
- Longest pass-play (98 yards) (2016)
- Completion percentage, single season (74.4%)
- Completion percentage, career (67.7%)
- Most regular season victories by a quarterback: 13 (2009, 2011, 2018)
5. Personal life
Drew Brees's life outside of football is characterized by his strong family ties, business ventures, and personal beliefs.
5.1. Family and personal beliefs
Brees married his college sweetheart, Brittany Dudchenko, in February 2003. The couple has four children: three sons born in January 2009, October 2010, and August 2012, and a daughter born in August 2014. Brees has expressed that his family feels complete, as three boys and one girl were always their dream. All four children were born and are being raised in New Orleans.
Brees moved to New Orleans shortly after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He acknowledges the difficulty of moving to a city in such disarray but states that he and Brittany immediately fell in love with the city's culture and "soul." They purchased and renovated a home in Uptown New Orleans, where they continue to reside. Brees often identifies his life's four priorities as faith, family, football, and philanthropy, calling them his "four F's." He maintained a home in San Diego until selling the property in 2012.
Brees was raised Baptist and committed to his faith at age 17, particularly after sustaining a torn ACL and grappling with questions of identity and purpose. He believes that subsequent trials, such as his career-threatening shoulder injury in 2005, only strengthened his relationship with God.
Brees's mother, Mina Brees, died on August 7, 2009, at age 59, from a prescription drug overdose, which was ruled a suicide. Brees was briefly excused from training camp for a "family matter" at the time. In 2006, Brees had publicly described their relationship as "nonexistent" after he declined to hire her as his agent when he entered the NFL, citing her alleged attempts to undercut his dealings with other agents and her unauthorized efforts to sell a book about him to Sports Illustrated. He also asked her to stop using his picture in TV commercials during her campaign for the Texas 3rd Court of Appeals. However, after her death, Brees clarified that his earlier quote was three years old and that their relationship had been improving. In his autobiography, released almost a year later, he wrote that their relationship had been on the mend and that she had been looking forward to meeting his son, her first grandchild.
Brees wears the number 9 on his uniform in honor of the late baseball player Ted Williams. He is sometimes known by the nicknames "Breesus" by Saints fans and "Cool Brees," a moniker he acquired during his younger years for his composure under pressure.
5.2. Business ventures
Brees has engaged in various entrepreneurial activities. On March 30, 2010, he became the national spokesperson for AdvoCare International, a multi-level marketing company that produces weight management, nutritional supplement, and personal care products.
He also owns a variety of restaurant businesses. In May 2015, he purchased a 25% stake in "Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar," a sports bar that originated in Baton Rouge and has expanded its franchising into other Gulf Coast states. In 2019, he opened a Walk-On's restaurant in Midland, Texas. During initial discussions with Walk-On's, Brees expressed interest in applying lessons learned as a Jimmy John's franchise owner. He currently owns nine Jimmy John's stores, with a tenth under construction as of August 2019. Carl Buergler, Jimmy John's director of operations, played football at Purdue with Brees.
When Brees broke the NFL record for all-time passing yards, he sent a personalized football and letter to the players who had helped him reach the milestone. He utilizes former Major League Baseball player and coach Tom House as his mechanics coach. In 2019, Brees partnered with San Diego Surf Sports to support the local youth sports scene in the San Diego area. In March 2019, Brees also partnered with Brandon Landry, co-founder of Walk-On's, to launch a new restaurant brand.
Brees follows a strict diet, avoiding gluten, dairy, and nuts due to food allergies. He maintains a regimented daily exercise routine, prioritizing core strength exercises over heavy weight training.
5.3. Health and physical condition
In 2023, Brees revealed that he is no longer able to lift his right arm over his shoulder, a condition he stated is a result of the shoulder injury he sustained during his time with the Chargers. He mentioned that he can only throw left-handed now.
6. Philanthropy and community engagement
Drew Brees is highly dedicated to charitable work and community involvement, particularly noted for his contributions to the city of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
In 2010, Sports Illustrated described Brees as "an athlete as adored and appreciated as any in an American city today." When the magazine honored him with the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year award, it cited his role in leading the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl title and his significant contributions to New Orleans's rebirth after Hurricane Katrina. The fact that he and his family chose to live in New Orleans proper, rather than the suburbs, further endeared him to the local population.
6.1. Brees Dream Foundation
In 2003, Brees and his wife, Brittany, founded the Brees Dream Foundation. Initially, the foundation focused on supporting cancer patients and research, established in memory of Brittany's aunt who died of cancer. Following Brees's move to New Orleans, the foundation expanded its mission to provide assistance for Hurricane Katrina rebuilding projects. The foundation also continues to fund and support various programs in San Diego, California, where Brees typically spends his offseasons, and West Lafayette, Indiana, home to the couple's alma mater, Purdue University, which Brees visits annually.
Brees and his foundation have been deeply involved in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. In 2007, the Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership with the international children's charity Operation Kids to rebuild, restore, and create academic and athletic facilities, parks, playgrounds, after-school programs, mentoring initiatives for the intellectually disabled, neighborhood revitalization projects, and child care facilities throughout New Orleans. Brees also sponsors the "Rebuilding Through Brotherhood" program, inviting fellow Sigma Chi fraternity members to the New Orleans community to help build homes with Habitat for Humanity.
In July 2020, Brees and Brittany partnered with Ochsner Health System, donating 5.00 M USD through the Brees Dream Foundation to help establish numerous healthcare centers across Louisiana. To date, the Brees Dream Foundation has donated over 35.00 M USD to charitable causes worldwide. The Foundation was also part of a joint initiative with BuildStrong and the Home Builders Institute to create the BuildStrong Academy, which offers students opportunities to enhance their skills in the construction industry.
6.2. Other community activities
Brees has participated in multiple USO tours throughout his career. In late June 2009, he visited the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Following his return, Brees was quoted as stating that Guantanamo captives were being treated ten times better than convicts in U.S. prisons.
In February 2008, Brees signed a promotional deal with Chili's Grill & Bar to promote the chain's new line of hamburgers, a promotion that also helped raise money for charity. In June 2008, Brees participated in the Pro Sports Team Challenge, a competition for professional athletes to raise money for charities, with Brees playing for Operation Kids.
On February 18, 2007, Brees was honored by the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade organization, as the 2007 Grand Marshal of the Bacchus parade. Brees presided as Bacchus XLII for the 2010 parade on February 14, 2010, a week after the Super Bowl during the Mardi Gras season.
In June 2010, President Obama appointed Brees to be co-chair of the newly renamed President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition, alongside former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes. In October 2010, Brees appeared in an It Gets Better video, delivering an anti-bullying message in response to a series of suicides committed by gay teenagers.
In April 2018, Brees filed a lawsuit against a San Diego jeweler, alleging that he and his wife paid 15.00 M USD for investment-grade diamonds that an independent appraiser valued at only 6.00 M USD. On June 21, 2019, Brees was awarded 6.00 M USD in the lawsuit.
7. Controversies
Drew Brees faced public scrutiny and controversy during his career, most notably regarding his comments on national anthem protests.
7.1. Comments on national anthem protests
On June 3, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he maintained his 2016 opinion that kneeling during the national anthem was disrespectful to the flag and to the United States. This statement drew significant disappointment and anger from several of his teammates and other professional athletes. Brees issued an apology early the next day.
8. Legacy and influence
Drew Brees's legacy is profound, extending beyond his remarkable statistics to encompass his deep impact on the New Orleans Saints franchise and the city of New Orleans. He is widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, known for his accuracy, leadership, and ability to elevate the play of those around him.
His arrival in New Orleans in 2006, just months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, coincided with the Saints' resurgence. He became a symbol of hope and resilience, helping to revitalize a franchise that had long struggled and, in turn, contributing to the city's emotional and physical recovery. Leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl championship in 2009 solidified his status as a beloved figure in New Orleans. His continuous engagement in philanthropic efforts, particularly through the Brees Dream Foundation, further cemented his bond with the community. Brees redefined what was possible for quarterbacks in terms of passing volume and efficiency, setting numerous NFL records for yards, completions, and completion percentage, many of which he held for years. His influence is seen in the modern NFL's emphasis on high-volume, efficient passing offenses.
9. See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly total offense leaders
- List of gridiron football quarterbacks passing statistics
- List of most consecutive games with touchdown passes in the National Football League
- List of most consecutive starts by a National Football League quarterback
- List of National Football League career passer rating leaders
- List of National Football League career passing completions leaders
- List of National Football League career passing touchdowns leaders
- List of National Football League career passing yards leaders
- List of National Football League career quarterback wins leaders
- List of National Football League quarterback playoff records
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have passed for 500 or more yards in a game
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
- List of NFL quarterbacks with 5,000 passing yards in a season
10. External links
- [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BreeDr00.htm Drew Brees at Pro-Football-Reference.com]
- [http://www.drewbrees.com Brees Dream Foundation]
- [https://twitter.com/drewbrees Drew Brees on Twitter]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20180411190603/http://www.purduesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brees_drew00.html Purdue Boilermakers bio]
- [https://campchampions.com/ Camp Champions]
- [https://www.instagram.com/drewbrees Drew Brees on Instagram]
Football players visit Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in 2009