The NFL’s all-time leader for passing touchdowns and yards (and many other records) will make “another run at it.” New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees shared an Instagram post recently announcing he would return for a 20th season. It has since been reported that Brees has agreed to a two-year contract worth $50 million to stay with the team.
Brees, 41, has made clear for years that he will not play for any team other than New Orleans. He was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March, so he would either retire or work out a new contract with the Saints. The two sides still need to come to an agreement on the details of a new contract, yet with his announcement, Brees promised NFL fans they would see the future Hall of Famer in a Saints uniform for at least one more season.
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Brees was still one of the best quarterbacks in the league in 2019. He led the entire NFL last season with 74.3 percent completion percentage and finished tied for the fifth-most passing touchdowns (27), although he played only 11 games due to injury. New Orleans finished 13-3 and won the NFC South for the third consecutive season.
At only 6 feet tall and 209 pounds, Brees doesn’t overpower opponents with his physicality. He’s been able to excel in the NFL for so many years because of his decision making and accurate right arm.
He’s relied on that right arm to get him to 13 Pro Bowls and lead the NFL in passing yards seven different times. After the 2009 season, he led New Orleans to the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory, a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Brees was the Super Bowl MVP.
In recent years, Brees has made a habit of setting a new standard for NFL quarterbacks. He broke the record for most career completions previously held by legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre in 2018. Then later that year, he broke the all-time passing yards record previously held by Peyton Manning. He now has 77,416 career passing yards.
Again, he surpassed Manning in 2019 when he broke the record for the most career passing touchdowns. He now has 547, and will only add to all of his new records this fall.
In addition to being one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history, Brees has been one of the most outspoken Christ-followers in the NFL for years. He accepted Christ in high school on his 17th birthday.
“I was locked in on the pastor as he was talking about how the Lord was looking for a few good men to carry on His Kingdom, to spread His Word, and to live the life that He had planned for them, and that spoke to me,” he said. “And it was at that moment that I accepted Jesus Christ in my heart and knew that there was something bigger planned for me than just sports.”
Brees has often spoken about his faith in Christ, which keeps him grounded with so much career success.
“I live by two very simple Christian fundamentals, and that is love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself,” Brees said, referencing Mark 12:30-31, in a video clarifying his beliefs. He had received criticism for appearing in a video by an organization called Focus on the Family.
“The first one is very self-explanatory. The second one, love your neighbor as yourself, what does that mean to me? It means love all, respect all and accept all. So that is actually how I live my life. That is what I try to do with my family, with my teammates, with the people in my community, with my friends, all people.”
Brees had also previously done a video with The Increase, in which he discusses how he came to faith and the importance of being in God’s Word.