Drew Brees concludes twenty year career in the NFL, what’s next?
Drew Brees looks to his future in his beloved sport and becomes an analyst. Brees has a hall-of-fame career behind him so it should come as no surprise if we see the former quarterback back on the field as a coach.
Two-time Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year, 13-time Pro-Bowler, and Super Bowl XLIV champion and MVP. These are just some of the accolades and honors that will highlight the immortal legacy of one of the best to put on a New Orleans Saints uniform as well as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Drew Brees.
On January 15, 1979, in Dallas, Texas, the future NFL hall-of-famer was born. His football career started in 1992, when he attended to Westlake High School in Austin and later joined the team. In1996 during his senior year —after recovering from an ACL tear—he led the Chaparrals to a 16-0 record, winning the State Championship game, and earning the Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player. He finished his high school football career with 50 touchdowns while completing 314 of 490 attempts for 5,461 yards.
He then played for Purdue University for three seasons and later graduated having won both the Davey O’Brien Award in 1999 and the Maxwell Award in 2000. Due to his success in college football, Brees became the second quarterback to be selected in the 2001 NFL Draft. As the first pick in the second round, he was drafted by the San Diego Chargers.
Bree’s first seasons as quarterback for the Chargers weren’t that impressive, aside from an admirable performance in 2004 which earned him Comeback Player of the Year. In 2006, five years after signing with the Chargers, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints. And thus his career and legacy skyrocketed.
In 2006, he advanced to his first NFC Championship Game, but unfortunately lost to Rex Grossman (remember him?) and the Chicago Bears, 39-14. Three years later, heentered the playoffs for the third time, and defeated not only Brett Farve and the Vikings, but overcamethe Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV (full game linked right here). Brees finished the playoffs with a SuperBowl MVP and an 8-0 touchdown-interception ratio.
Throughout his career, Brees broke multiple records in the NFL: Surpassing Brett Farve and Peyton Manning for the most passing yards and, in 2019, broke Peyton Manning’s passing TD record. He became one of eight players to throw 7 touchdowns in a single game and earned his 500th career passing touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens (the last remaining opponent of the 32 teams that Brees has ever defeated in the NFL). He made a total of 10 playoff appearances with his final playoff game being a loss against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30-20.
After finishing the 2020 season 12-4, Brees—via a short-length video solely featuring his children—officially announced his retirement. In part of saying farewell to the NFL and stepping forward into the next phase of life and spending much time with his kids, Brees had this to say about his plans to retire according to CNN:
“Each day, I poured my heart and soul into being your quarterback…You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me, and given me a lifetime of memories…I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning.”
