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The New Orleans Saints franchise quarterback, Drew Brees, announced his retirement on Sunday, March 14, 2021. That comes after a 20-year NFL career, x1 Super Bowl win, 80,358-yards passing (1st all-time), 571 TD passes (second all time) and a highlight reel of accurate passing that aspiring QBs will be watching forever.
The one shining light (besides an impeccable career, of course), the Purdue University graduate will join up with NBC Sports to work as an analyst. That means Saints fans will still get to see plenty of him once the 2021 NFL season gets underway.
In honor of the man they call Breesus down in the Big Easy, let's take a look at the five greatest moments of Drew Brees's unbelievable NFL career, in descending order:
#5 Drew Brees' Walter Payton Man of the Year award (2006)
He might well be retiring as one of the greatest QBs to ever suit up, but in New Orleans, Drew Brees has always been much more than just a football player. He will be forever revered for the outstanding work he has done in the community, too.
After extensive efforts to help rebuild the homes and communities of New Orleans residents post-hurricane Katrina in 2006, Drew Brees, along with former teammate LaDainian Tomlinson, were selected as the co-recipients of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. That was in recognition of both players' voluntary and charity work.
Though it might not be that second Super Bowl ring everyone wanted to see, the Walter Payton Man of the Year award is one of the most prestigious honors in football. It's a true testament to the character of Drew Brees as a man that he was so quick to get involved in New Orleans' recovery from the disaster.
Not every player puts community outreach at the top of their agenda when they agree to join a new team. But hats off to 'Breesus,' the Brees family, Tomlinson and the rest of the Saints family for all the work they did back in 2005-o6 and beyond. Player performances on and off the field are often cited as a key part of a city's rebuild. Drew Brees certainly played his part.
#4 2011 Offensive Player of the Year (should have been MVP)
Back in 2011, Drew Brees shattered Dan Marino's all-time single-season passing record by notching up 5,476 yards.
In most years, that kind of record-breaking total would have meant MVP honors. Unfortunately for Drew Brees, though, QB Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers was also in fine fettle and, to the utter disbelief of most Louisiana natives, Rodgers stole in on the MVP vote. That meant Drew Brees had to make do with the Offensive Player of the Year award.
Considering Drew Brees also led the NFL in completion percentage and passing TDs (46) in 2011, it's easy to see why many football fans -- and not just in New Orleans -- felt number #9 was snubbed that year. I personally believe he was, too.
In 2011, Drew Brees was the best football player on the planet. Hence this achievement makes the list at number four.
Also Read: Who Is Drew Brees' wife, Brittany Brees?
#3: The 2009 Week-12 performance of Drew Brees against the New England Patriots
Back in 2009, with the Saints sitting pretty at 10-0, the New England Patriots rolled into town in a game many felt was a likely precursor to the Super Bowl.
Drew Brees put on one of the best QB displays of all time, throwing for 371 yards and five touchdowns, while registering a perfect passer rating of 158.3, as the Saints routed the Patriots 38-17.
Drew Brees has had a lot of brilliant performances in black and gold, but, for me, this one was the best of them all.
#2 Drew Brees becomes the NFL's all-time leading passer in 2018
In Week 5 of the 2018 NFL season, Drew Brees found Tre'Quan Smith with a beautiful lofted pass that the Saints' receiver took all the way to the crib for a 62-yard TD.
Connecting on that TD pass to Smith, Brees broke Peyton Manning's record for most passing yards in the NFL, a record which at that point stood at 71,940 yards. The celebrations were a joy to watch (if you haven't already).
Sure, Tom Brady (79,204 yards) will surpass Drew Brees's record of 80,358 yards by about Week 4 or 5 of the 2021 NFL season, but you can't take the record-breaking moment away from Drew Brees.
Passing any record set by the great Peyton Manning has to rank highly on Drew Brees's personal list of accolades. That's why it creeps in at number two here.
#1 Winning the Super Bowl with New Orleans in 2009-10
I'm a Saints fan, born and living across the pond in the UK.
As a child, I would always watch 'grid-iron, but I never picked a team to support. It was hard work staying up for the late-night games with school in the morning. Also, the highlight shows on Channel 4 always made every team look great, so it was impossible to pick just one.
Depressed about the Patriots' early 2000s dominance and the lack of affordable TV coverage of the NFL in the UK, I did the unthinkable: I stopped watching the NFL for a few years.
Aged 18, I moved in with a friend, and we purchased SKY TV, and the NFL was back on.
The reason I became a Saints fan is that my friend and I just so happened to turn on the TV in time to watch the build-up and televised broadcast of Super Bowl XLlV on February 7, 2010.
Before the game, everybody was talking about this guy, Drew Brees, who'd had a great year, done a ton of work for the community and had bounced back from a tough time in San Diego to become one of the NFL's elite QBs.
I thought to myself, I like this dude -- he seems like a stand-up guy! And so I decided to back the underdog in that game. It was Brees's Saints (underdogs) against Manning's Colts (favorites).
The Saints came back to win 31-17. Drew Brees tied the Super Bowl record of 32 pass completions and won the MVP Award, throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns. I've supported the Saints ever since, never missing a game on TV, patiently hoping coach Payton and Brees would lead us back to another Super Bowl, forever optimistic.
As a fan, it's truly a punch in the gut to think that Drew Brees won't be the Saints signal-caller next season and that we won't now get to see him in action in his second Super Bowl -- I really think he deserved another ring.
But, boy, am I glad I got to see his greatest ever moment a mere three hours into my obsession.It will stay with me forever.
Thank you, Drew!
Also Read: What is Drew Brees’ current contract?
