Athlete Archive: Drew Brees

Drew Brees is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He had a successful college football career at Purdue University, becoming one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history. Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records during his college career. He remains the Big Ten record-holder in several passing categories, including completions, attempts, and yards. Brees was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft.

Brees earned the starting job with the Chargers in 2002 and made the Pro Bowl in 2004. Nine months after suffering a dislocation in his right shoulder joint and a tear of the labrum and rotator cuff, Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006, where he has played since. He experienced immediate success in New Orleans, leading the Saints to their first-ever Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLIV and helping the team to a 31–17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Since joining the Saints, Brees has led all NFL quarterbacks in touchdowns, passing yards, and 300-yard games. As of the end of Week 10 of the 2020 NFL season, Brees holds the NFL records for career pass completions, career completion percentage, and career passing yards. He is also second in career touchdown passes, second in career pass attempts, third in regular season career passer rating and fourth in postseason career passer rating. In 2012, he broke Johnny Unitas’s long-standing record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass. He has led the NFL in passing yards a record seven times and in passing touchdowns a record-tying four times. Brees has made the Pro Bowl 13 times, was the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2004, was the Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011, and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV. Sports Illustrated named Brees its 2010 Sportsman of the Year. Brees is regarded as one of the best passers in NFL history and has been hailed as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

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