Drew Brees
Hall of Fame quarterback who led the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl title and holds multiple NFL passing records.
Drew Christopher Brees (born January 15, 1979) is an American former professional 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, he is second all-time in career passing yards, career touchdown passes, and career pass completions, and third in career completion percentage. Brees also holds the record of consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking the record held by Johnny Unitas for 52 years. He is regarded as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Brees played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers, winning the Maxwell Award and Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 2000. He was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. Brees joined the Saints in 2006 and led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLIV, earning the game's MVP award. He retired after the 2020 season and was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026.
- Role
- Quarterback (Non-Bengals)
- Affiliation
- San Diego/San Francisco Chargers, New Orleans Saints
- Bengals Career Length
- 0 Seasons
- Status
- Hall of Famer (Class of 2024)
- Connection to Cincinnati
- None
Lore & Background
Brees was born on January 15, 1979 in Dallas, Texas. He was named for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson according to a Sports Illustrated article, but Brees said in a 2014 interview this story was 'just legend'. He has a younger brother, Reid, and a younger half-sister, Audrey. Brees was raised Baptist. He did not play tackle football until high school and led Austin Westlake High School to a state championship in 1996. Brees received offers from only two colleges, Purdue and Kentucky, choosing Purdue. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in industrial management. In his college career, Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. He was inducted into Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
In Their Own Story
The stadium lights hummed over Paul Brown Stadium, but the ghost of Drew Brees did not walk these halls. Fans recalled the roar of Boomer Esiason's 'Boomerang' and the precision of Andy Dalton in the playoffs, yet no memory existed of a number 9 passing from the Bengals' pocket. The history books remained clear: this legendary arm belonged to the Saints, leaving Cincinnati's timeline untouched by his presence.
Reader's Guide
Drew Brees played for the San Diego Chargers from 2001 to 2005 and for the New Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2020. He led the Saints to seven division titles, nine playoff appearances, nine playoff wins, three NFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XLIV. Brees was twice named Offensive Player of the Year, earned 13 Pro Bowl selections, and one first-team All-Pro. He led the league in passing yards a record seven times. After retiring, he spent a year as an analyst on NBC Sunday Night Football and served as an interim assistant football coach with Purdue in 2022. He was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026.
Did You Know?
- Brees holds the record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass, breaking Johnny Unitas's record that stood for 52 years.
- He was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl title.
- Brees set an NCAA single-game record with 55 completions and an NCAA record for pass attempts in a game with 83 in 1998.
- He was named the Big Ten's best quarterback of the 1990s.
More in Legendary Players & Coaches
Elsewhere in the Cincinnati Bengals universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record