The 13-time Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees has signed a two-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. Brees is one of the most prolific passers in NFL history as he has set numerous single-season and career passing records during his 19-year playing career.
Brees had a very productive 2019 season despite missing five games for thumb ligament surgery on his throwing hand. He passed for 2,979 yards, 27 touchdowns with four interceptions and had an NFL-best 74.3 passing completion percentage. For all of his success, Brees still finished in second place behind Tennessee Titans Ryan Tannehill (117.5) with a 116.3 quarterback rating for the entire season.
The #Saints agree to terms with QB Drew Brees, source said. He gets a 2-year deal worth roughly $50M. Never in doubt, but now done. And Brees took less to help the team continue to build.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
Drew Brees, Saints Agree to Deal
Speculation began after the New Orleans Saints wildcard weekend overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings about Drew Brees’ immediate future. Several media reports had multiple television sports networks assessing the star quarterback’s interest in becoming an NFL game analyst.
No one from Brees’ camp would confirm if the quarterback was considering retirement and beginning his post-playing career in the TV booth next season. However, the sudden interest gave Brees some leverage in securing a new contract that allowed him to continue playing football.
Brees’ NFL career began as a 2001 second round draft choice by the San Diego Chargers. He became the team’s full-time starting quarterback in 2002 after spending a season as Doug Flutie’s backup. Brees’ time in San Diego seemed to be ending after the Chargers acquired rookie quarterback Philip Rivers in a 2004 draft-day deal that sent Eli Manning’s rights to the New York Giants.
However, Brees won the training camp quarterback battle and led the Chargers to a 12-4 mark that earned the team their first AFC West Division title since 1994. In 2005, both Brees and the Chargers struggled on the field that culminated with him injuring his shoulder in the season finale. This ended the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback’s five-year career with the Chargers as Brees threw for 12, 348 yards, 80 touchdowns and 53 interceptions for 84.9 QB rating.
The Miami Dolphins and the Saints each vied for Brees’ services as he chose to continue his NFL career in The Crescent City. Together with first-year head coach Sean Payton, Brees led the Saints to a 10-6 record and a berth in the NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears.
Payton created a high-powered passing attack that highlighted Brees’ exceptional throwing accuracy in the pocket. In 2008, Brees came within 15 yards of tying Dan Marino’s single-season passing (5,084) yards record. However, 2009 was the year that everything fell into place for Brees and the Saints. They began the season at 13-0 before losing three straight games to close out the regular campaign.
Questions arose during the bye week if the Saints were going to have another “one-and-done” playoff run, but Brees and company proved their skeptics wrong by earning a berth in Super Bowl XLIV. It was supposed to be a dream matchup against Peyton Manning, but Brees was the better quarterback on this day. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns that earned him Super Bowl MVP honors in a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
In 14 seasons with the Saints, Brees has thrown for 65,068 yards, 467 touchdowns and 184 interceptions for a 101.3 quarterback rating.
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