Drew Brees announced his retirement from the NFL on Sunday.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback made the announcement on Instagram with the help of their children.
Brees’s unlikely path to the all-time passing leader
Brees was not widely recruited before going to Purdue. He fell for the second round of the draft because he was not considered high enough by NFL standards. After three seasons, the San Diego Chargers have summoned Philip Rivers to replace him. When the New Orleans Saints signed Brees, he was recovering from a shoulder injury so severe that his future in the NFL was in doubt.
In the end, Brees rewrote the NFL record books, paved the way for defenders who were not considered tall enough for many NFL teams, played a big role in saving the Saints in New Orleans and transformed a perennial team into a Super Bowl . champion.
Brees, the all-time leader of the NFL, with 80,358 yards of passes in his career, retired after 20 seasons in the NFL. Along the way, he won many chances to become one of the greatest defenders in NFL history.
Tom Brady is just ahead of Brees in career touchdowns and not far behind in career passing yards, and he will surely pass Brees in the last category next season. But Brees’ legacy is defined, especially in New Orleans.
Drew Brees won big odds
Brees started his career with the Chargers and in the early years he didn’t seem like one of the greatest defenders of all time. That was what led the Chargers to draft Rivers in the first round of the 2004 draft, after Brees’ third season.
Brees kept Rivers in the bank for a few years. He did a Pro Bowl in 2004. The Chargers faced a tough decision after the 2005 season with Brees set to be a free agent, but Brees dislocated his right shoulder from the launch at the end of the season. He tore his lip and suffered a partial tear of the rotator cuff. There were doubts as to whether he would be an effective quarterback again. The Miami Dolphins, with Nick Saban as head coach, did not sign him due to a shoulder injury.
Brees lasted another 15 years. The saints will always be grateful for that.
When Brees signed with Saints, the franchise had only one playoff victory in its history. At the end of the 2005 season, the Saints were considering moving to San Antonio. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, further obscuring the franchise’s future. When Brees signed, he immediately plunged into Katrina’s community and recovery efforts. And in the countryside, Brees helped to save the Saints in New Orleans.
The Saints started winning when Brees arrived. He took the Saints to an NFC championship game in their second season there. Then, the Saints franchise, and its perception, changed forever during the 2009 season.
Brees brings a Super Bowl to New Orleans
In 2009, Saints went 13-3 and Brees had a great season. They beat the Minnesota Vikings in an exciting NFC championship game and then defeated the Indianapolis Colts to win Super Bowl XLIV. Brees was named MVP of the Super Bowl.
Brees presented excellent numbers in the following decade. He had five seasons of 5,000 yards and kept the record for single-season passing yards until 2013, when Peyton Manning broke him. Brees led the NFL on passes seven times. He made 13 Pro Bowls. He broke records for passing yards and touchdowns in his career.
Brees led another revival of the Saints towards the end of his career. The Saints were one of the best NFL teams in each of Brees’s last four seasons, but failed to return to the Super Bowl, suffering some of the most painful losses in the history of the NFL playoffs along the way. Brees’ final game was a playoff defeat for Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brees, playing just a few weeks after breaking 11 ribs, threw three interceptions. His final pass in the NFL was deflected and intercepted.
Brees agreed to work as a broadcaster at NBC whenever his playing career ended. He will take on this role, leaving behind a historic NFL legacy. He and the saints are practically synonymous when he retires. Brees changed the way NFL teams view defenders over six feet tall or less, paving the way for players like Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. His 80,358 career yards and 571 career touchdowns will be near the top of the all-time list in the NFL for a long time.
And in five years, the Professional Football Hall of Fame will be knocking on Brees’ door.
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