Following 20 years in the National Football League, the last 15 with the New Orleans Saints, quarterback Drew Brees’ retirement became official Friday through the NFL transactions wire.
Brees was a 15-year team captain and led the Saints to nine playoff appearances, seven division titles, including four consecutive from 2017-2020, and the Super Bowl XLIV title, where he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. The franchise signal-guest declared he would be retiring from football on March 14 in a social media video from his children.
Brees, 42, retires as the NFL’s all-time leader in career passing yards (80,358) and positions second all time in touchdown passes (571) and completion percentage (67.7 percent). Brees will be remembered for helping to revive the Saints franchise and the city of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina when he and Coach Sean Payton showed up in 2006.
The duo led the Saints to the NFC Championship Game in that first year and won the lone Super Bowl in franchise history three years after the fact.