Drew Brees, American football player
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees has the second-highest NFL career pass completion percentage, along with being second in career touchdown passes, career passing yards, career pass completions, and career pass attempts. He also holds the record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking the feat held by Johnny Unitas for 52 years.
Brees played college football at Purdue, where he set the Big Ten Conference records for completions, attempts, and yards. Despite his collegiate success, questions over his height and arm strength caused him to not be selected until the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Brees initially struggled before having a breakout season in 2004, earning him Pro Bowl and Comeback Player of the Year honors. Re-signed to a one-year contract, Brees suffered a potentially career-ending injury the following season, which resulted in the Chargers allowing him to leave in free agency. Joining the Saints, he brought new success to a franchise that had only seven winning seasons, five playoff appearances, and one postseason win during the 39 years prior to his arrival. He led the Saints between 2006 and 2020 to nine playoff runs, seven division titles (including four consecutive from 2017 to 2020), three NFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLIV, where he was named MVP.At the conclusion of his 15 seasons in New Orleans, Brees extended his total Pro Bowl selections to 13 and was twice named Offensive Player of the Year. He also led the NFL in passing yards a record seven times. Brees retired after the 2020 season and joined NBC Sunday Night Football as an analyst.