Drew Brees

Drew Christopher Brees was born on January 15, 1979, in Dallas to Eugene Wilson "Chip" Brees II, a prominent trial lawyer, and Mina Ruth (née Akins; died 2009), an attorney. His grandfather fought in the Battle of Okinawa. A Sports Illustrated article stated he was named for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson but in a 2014 interview Brees said this story was "just legend". He has a younger brother, Reid (born 1981). When Brees was seven, his parents divorced and shared custody of the boys, who split their time between both parents' homes. Today, he admits that it was a very tough and challenging life after the divorce; however, Brees and his younger brother, Reid, supported each other and became very close. They have a younger half-sister, Audrey, from their father's remarriage to Amy Hightower, daughter of the late U.S. Representative (D-TX) Jack English Hightower.

After moving to the Austin area, Brees did not play tackle football until high school and was on the flag football team at St. Andrew's Episcopal School, where his teammates included actor Ben McKenzie, who was in the same year. In high school, he was a varsity letterman in baseball, basketball and football and was considering playing college baseball rather than football. College recruiters quickly ran after Brees blew out his knee in the 11th grade. After overcoming an ACL tear during his junior year he was selected as Texas High School 5A Most Valuable Offensive Player in 1996 and led the Austin Westlake High School football team to a 16–0 record and a state championship. As a high school football player, Brees completed 314 of 490 passes (64.1 percent) for 5,461 yards with 50 touchdowns including, in his senior season, 211 of 333 passes (63.4 percent) for 3,528 yards with 31 touchdowns. Westlake went 28–0–1 when Brees started for two seasons and beat a Dominic Rhodes-led Abilene Cooper 55–15 in the 1996 title game. He was given honorable mention in the state high school all-star football team and the USA Today All-USA high school football team alongside former San Diego Chargers teammate and long-time friend LaDainian Tomlinson. Brees had hoped to follow his father's and uncle's footsteps and play for the Texas Longhorns or Texas A&M Aggies but was not heavily recruited despite his stellar record.

Brees was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's best quarterback in 1999. He won the Maxwell Award as the nation's outstanding player of 2000 and the NCAA's Today's Top VIII Award as a member of the Class of 2001. Brees was also fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 1999 and third in 2000. As a senior, Brees became the first Boilermaker since Bruce Brineman in 1989 to earn Academic All-America honors. Additionally, he won Academic All-Big Ten honors a record three times, was initiated into Mortar Board and awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor and the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Award. Brees also was awarded Purdue's Leonard Wilson Award for unselfishness and dedication.

In his college career, Brees set two NCAA records, 13 Big Ten Conference records, and 19 Purdue University records. He left Purdue with Big Ten Conference records in passing yards (11,792), touchdown passes (90), total offensive yards (12,693), completions (1,026), and attempts (1,678). He tied an NCAA record with the 99-yard pass to receiver Vinny Sutherland against Northwestern on September 25, 1999 and held the NCAA record for pass attempts in a game (83) for 15 years, until Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday broke it in October 2013.

After a relatively uneventful freshman season, Brees was given his first start during his sophomore year by Boilermakers head coach Joe Tiller and became an integral part of Tiller and Jim Chaney's unorthodox "basketball on grass" spread offense, serving as offensive captain during his junior and senior years. He had the option to make himself available for the 2000 NFL Draft but chose to return for his senior year to complete his studies. In 2000, he led the Boilermakers to memorable last-minute upsets against top-ranked Ohio State and Michigan en route to the Boilermakers' first Big Ten championship (shared with Michigan and Northwestern) since 1967. The Ohio State game was replayed on ESPN Classic and is widely remembered for Brees's four interceptions and 64-yard touchdown pass to Seth Morales with 1:55 remaining to seal a vital 31–27 win, prompting commentator Brent Musburger to exclaim "Holy Toledo!" and a post-game field rush afterwards. Due to head-to-head victories over Michigan and Northwestern, Purdue won the invitation to the 2001 Rose Bowl, Purdue's first appearance there since 1967, where Purdue lost by ten points to the Washington Huskies.

Brees received offers from only two colleges, Purdue and Kentucky, choosing Purdue for its highly rated academics. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in industrial management, and is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Brees's college success led to projections that he would be a mid–late first-round draft pick in the 2001 NFL Draft, but he slipped due to concerns about his relatively short stature for a professional quarterback (6'), a perceived lack of arm strength, and a sense that he had succeeded in college in a spread offense. Brees was the second quarterback selected in the 2001 Draft behind Michael Vick of Virginia Tech. He was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick of the second round (32nd overall). San Diego originally had the first pick in that draft, but traded it to Atlanta (who drafted Vick) in return for the fifth pick of the first round with which San Diego drafted LaDainian Tomlinson.

In his rookie season, Brees was the backup quarterback to Doug Flutie, who started all 16 games that season. Brees played in his first professional game on November 4, 2001 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8. He came into the game to relieve Flutie, who had suffered a concussion. He finished with 221 passing yards and his first career passing touchdown, a 20-yard pass to Freddie Jones. The game against the Chiefs was Brees's lone appearance as a rookie.

On August 19, 2002, he was named the starter for the 2002 season over Doug Flutie. Brees started all 16 games for the Chargers. The season started off well for the Chargers with a 6–1 start, but faded down the stretch with a 2–7 record over the last nine games to finish 8–8. He finished the 2002 season with 3,284 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.

Brees married his college sweetheart Brittany Dudchenko in February 2003. The couple have four children together; three sons born January 2009, October 2010, and August 2012, and a daughter in August 2014.

In 2003, Brees and his wife, Brittany, founded the Brees Dream Foundation to support cancer patients and research in memory of Brittany's aunt who died of cancer. Since Brees' move to New Orleans, the foundation has expanded to provide assistance for Hurricane Katrina rebuilding projects. The foundation continues to fund and support various programs in San Diego, California, where Brees usually spends his offseasons, and West Lafayette, Indiana, where the couple's alma mater, Purdue, is located and where Brees returns to visit yearly.

Brees is a Christian. Brees was raised as a Christian but stated that he became committed at age 17 when he was at church with a torn ACL and was wondering who he was and what his purpose was in life. Brees later faced other trials such as tearing his shoulder in 2005; however, he maintains that these setbacks only strengthened his relationship with God.

After a 1–2 start, Brees helped lead a 41–17 victory over the New England Patriots. He was 19 of 24 for 248 passing yards and two touchdowns and earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the effort. He posted a career-high in passing yards with 3,576. Brees also posted an 89.2 rating, 10th best in the NFL. However, in the last game of the 2005 season against the Denver Broncos, Brees tore his labrum while trying to pick up his own fumble after being hit by Broncos safety John Lynch. Denver tackle Gerard Warren hit Brees while he was on the ground, causing the injury. Brees underwent arthroscopic surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews, to repair the torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder on January 5, 2006. Subsequent reports mentioned additional rotator cuff damage and he also was treated by Dr. Saby Szajowitz to recover and regain muscle movement.

After the Chargers refused to increase their offer, Brees met with other teams. The New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins were interested in Brees. New Orleans made an offer that included $10 million in guaranteed money the first year and a $12 million option the second year. Miami was unsure whether Brees' shoulder was completely healed and doctors suggested the team should not sign him because of the injury. The Dolphins ended negotiations and traded for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper instead. Brees signed a six-year, $60 million deal with the Saints on March 14, 2006.

Brees had a productive first year with the Saints. The team, under first-year head coach Sean Payton, rebounded from its disastrous 2005 season (when the team was unable to play in New Orleans due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and struggled to a 3–13 record) to finish with a 10–6 regular season record and won the NFC South division title. On November 5, in the 31–14 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 314 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. On November 19, in a 31–16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he threw for a career-high 510 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. In Week 14, a 42–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 384 passing yards and five touchdowns to earn his second NFC Offensive Player of the Week award in 2006. Brees threw a league-leading and franchise record 4,418 passing yards, finished third in the league with 26 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, and had a 96.2 passer rating. Brees was named starting quarterback for the NFC in the 2007 Pro Bowl and was named as a First-team All-Pro. On January 5, 2007, Brees was named first runner-up behind former teammate Tomlinson for league MVP by the Associated Press. Brees and Tomlinson were co-recipients of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.

On January 13, 2007, in his first playoff game for New Orleans, Brees was 20–of–32 in passing attempts with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round at the Louisiana Superdome. The Saints held on to win 27–24, and advanced to the franchise's first NFC Championship Game against the Chicago Bears. Though he completed 27-of-49 passes for 354 yards against the Chicago Bears, and two touchdowns, Brees committed three costly turnovers, and was penalized for an intentional grounding in the endzone, resulting in a safety, as the Saints lost in the NFC Championship by a score of 39–14. Brees dislocated his left elbow during the first quarter of the Pro Bowl.

Brees's second season with the Saints started rough with an 0–4 start, with three losses by the Saints in that stretch by at least 17 points. However, the Saints started a winning streak after Week 5. In Week 8, a 31–10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, he had 336 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. After the next game, a 41–24 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Saints were back at .500 with a 4-4 record. In Week 15, a 31–24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, he had 315 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod in 2007. Overall, in the 2007 season, Brees passed for 4,423 yards, topped his own record and tied a then franchise record with 28 touchdowns. He also set the NFL record previously held by Rich Gannon for pass completions in a single season with 440. However, the Saints missed the playoffs with a 7–9 record.

Brees and his foundation have been heavily involved in Hurricane Katrina recovery. Drew and Brittany's Brees Dream Foundation announced a partnership in 2007 with international children's charity Operation Kids, to rebuild and restore and recreate academic and athletic facilities, parks, and playgrounds, after-school programs, mentoring programs for the intellectually disabled, neighborhood revitalization projects and child care facilities in New Orleans. Brees also sponsors the Rebuilding Through Brotherhood program to invite fellow Sigma Chi members to the New Orleans community to build homes with the Habitat for Humanity.

On February 18, 2007, Brees was honored by the Krewe of Bacchus, a New Orleans Mardi Gras parade organization, as the 2007 Grand Marshal of the Bacchus parade. Brees presided as Bacchus XLII for the 2010 parade on February 14, 2010, one week after the Super Bowl during Mardi Gras season.

In 2008, the Saints again missed the playoffs but Brees had a strong year statistically, finishing 15 yards short of the NFL record for passing yards thrown in a single season set by Dan Marino in 1984. In Week 6, a 34–3 victory over the Oakland Raiders, he was 26 of 30 for 320 yards and three touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 8, a 37–32 victory over the San Diego Chargers, he had 339 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod. In Week 12, a 51–29 win over the Green Bay Packers, he had 323 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor in 2008. He finished the season with 5,069 yards and became the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.

In February 2008, Brees signed a promotional deal with Chili's Grill & Bar to promote the chain's new line of hamburgers. The promotion helped raise money for charity. In June 2008, Brees participated in the Pro Sports Team Challenge, a competition for professional athletes to help raise money for charities. The charity Brees played for was Operation Kids.

In 2009, Brees was inducted into Purdue's Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. The Big Ten Conference's Griese–Brees Quarterback of the Year award initiated in 2011 was named in his and Bob Griese's honor. He was named the Big Ten's best quarterback of the 1990s and ranked number 48 on the 2010 documentary Big Ten Icons, featuring the conference's top fifty student-athletes.

Brees's mother, Mina Brees, died on August 7, 2009, aged 59, from a prescription drug overdose. The death was ruled a suicide. Brees was briefly excused from training camp for a "family matter". In 2006, Brees described their relationship as "nonexistent" ever since he refused to hire his mother as his agent when he entered the NFL. After her death, Brees stated that this quote was three years old and that his relationship with his mother had been improving. In his autobiography, released almost a year later, he wrote that their relationship had been on the mend and that she had been looking forward to her meeting his son; her first grandchild.

In the Divisional Round, Brees recorded 247 passing yards and three touchdowns as the Saints routed the Arizona Cardinals 45–14. In the NFC Championship, The Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 31–28 in overtime. Brees completed 17 of 31 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31–17 in Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010. Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 pass completions and won the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award. He threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first league championship in Saints franchise history. Brees was named the 2010 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, both for his winning the Super Bowl and his charitable work towards the reconstruction of New Orleans. On December 17, 2010, he was named AP Male Athlete of the Year. Within four short years after joining the Saints, Brees was more accurate in his throws than any of the Saints' past quarterbacks. Brees and his teammates were welcomed back to New Orleans with a blues band along with thousands of celebrating fans.

Brees started the 2010 season with 237 yards and one passing touchdown in a 14–9 win over the Minnesota Vikings in a rematch of the previous years' NFC Championship. In Week 3, against the Atlanta Falcons, he threw for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 27–24 loss. In Week 11, against the Seattle Seahawks, he threw for a regular season-high 382 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in a 34–19 victory. In 2010, the Saints qualified for the playoffs with a 11–5 record, but were eliminated in the Wild Card Round by the Seattle Seahawks by a score of 41–36 in the Beast Quake game. Brees finished with 404 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in the loss. Brees was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl-fourth with the Saints. Brees had a less successful season statistically, throwing a career-high 22 interceptions, tying the franchise record held by Aaron Brooks, although he managed to throw 33 touchdowns. He was ranked ninth on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011 players' list.

On July 6, 2010, Brees released his first book, entitled Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity, co-authored by Chris Fabry. Coming Back Stronger opened at number 3 on the nonfiction bestseller list of The New York Times.

In April 2010, Brees was voted by fans as the cover athlete of EA Sports Madden NFL 11 video game.

On March 30, 2010, Brees became the national spokesperson for AdvoCare International, a multi-level marketing company, which produces weight management, nutritional supplement, and personal care products.

In 2010, Sports Illustrated described Brees as "an athlete as adored and appreciated as any in an American city today". When Sports Illustrated selected him for the 2010 Sportsman of the Year award, it said the award was "[f]or not only leading the New Orleans Saints to the first Super Bowl title in the franchise's history, but also for helping lead the city of New Orleans' rebirth after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina". The fact that he and his family lived in New Orleans proper, instead of the suburbs like many players did, further endeared him to fans.

In June 2010, President Obama appointed Brees to be co-chair of the newly renamed President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, along with former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.

In October 2010, Brees appeared in an It Gets Better video, in which he gave an anti-bullying message in the wake of a series of suicides committed by gay teenagers.

The 2011 season was a record-breaking season for Brees as he led the NFL in completion percentage, passing yards and passing touchdowns, which is known as the "Triple Crown". He broke Dan Marino's 27-year-old record for most passing yards in one season (5,084) in the 15th game of the season (week 16) against the Atlanta Falcons at home in New Orleans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome with a touchdown pass to Darren Sproles. Brees also set a new Saints franchise record for passing touchdowns in a season with 46.

Brees finished the 2016 season leading the league in passing yards with 5,208, the second most of his career and the fifth 5,000-yard season of his career—more than all other 5,000-yard seasons combined (4). He threw for 471 completions, breaking his NFL record of 468 set in 2011, and a career-high 673 attempts. Brees finished third in touchdown passes with 37, the fourth most of his career. He finished second in completion percentage (70.0%), making it the third time he has completed at least 70% of his passes in a season. Despite his performance, for the third straight season, the Saints finished 7–9 and missed the playoffs. He was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl for his 2016 season. He was ranked 16th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

In Week 17, against the Carolina Panthers, Brees closed out the season by setting six NFL records, finishing the year with 468 completions for 5,476 yards, edging Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, who also surpassed Marino's record with 5,235 yards. Brees averaged 342.25 yards passing per game, which broke Dan Fouts's record of 320.3 in a strike-shortened 1982 season. In 2013, Peyton Manning bested Brees's record by one passing yard, and finished the season with an NFL-record 5,477 passing yards, averaging 342.31 yards per game. In the NFC Wild Card Round, Brees passed for 466 yards and three passing touchdowns as the Saints defeated the Detroit Lions by a score of 45–28. However, Brees and the Saints lost in the Divisional Round to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 36–32 in a back-and-forth contest. In the loss, Brees passed for 462 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was named to his sixth career Pro Bowl. He was ranked as the second-best player in the league by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.

Brees started the 2013 season with 357 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the 23–17 home victory over the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 4, a 38–17 home victory over the Miami Dolphins, he had 413 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 10, a 49–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he had 392 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn another NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor. In Week 12, Brees passed Warren Moon for fifth on the career passing yards list with 49,566. During Week 14, Brees became the fastest player ever to join the 50,000-yard club and only the fifth player to do so. He did it in 183 games, passing the 50,000 milestone on a pass to Jimmy Graham in the fourth quarter of a 31–13 Saints win over the Carolina Panthers on December 8, in which he threw four touchdowns. In Week 17, a 42–17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had 381 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn his third NFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2013 season. Brees also extended his NFL record to a sixth straight season of at least 30 touchdown passes with 4,000 passing yards, his third straight 5,000-yard season, and his eighth straight 4,000-yard season. For his successful performance in 2013, he was named to his eighth career Pro Bowl. The Saints finished with an 11–5 record and narrowly defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round, but lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round, who went on to win Super Bowl XLVIII. He finished ranked sixth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

Brees and the Saints started the 2015 season with an 0–3 start with two of the losses being by one possession. On October 4, 2015, in Week 4, his 80-yard touchdown pass to C. J. Spiller on the second play of overtime gave the Saints a 26–20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, and the team's first win of the season. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Cowboys. The touchdown gave Brees 400 for his career, making him the fifth player in NFL history to reach the 400 touchdown milestone. Also, he became the fastest player ever to reach 400 touchdowns, doing so in 205 games. Brees also completed his 5,000th pass with a touchdown to tight end Josh Hill. It was the quickest regular season overtime win in the history of the NFL at 13 seconds.

On November 1, 2015, Brees tied the NFL record of touchdown passes in a game with seven during a 52–49 Saints win over the New York Giants. In that game, he completed 39-of-50 passes for 505 yards to record his second career game with at least 500 passing yards. He became the second player in NFL history to have multiple 500-yard passing games. He earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his historic performance against the New York Giants.

Brees owns a variety of restaurant businesses. In May 2015, he purchased a 25% stake in "Walk-On's Bistreaux & Bar", a sports bar that originated in Baton Rouge and is currently expanding their franchising into other Gulf Coast states. In 2019, he opened a Walk-On's restaurant in Midland, Texas. During initial talks with Walk-On's, Brees said that he was interested in bringing over some of the lessons that he had learned as a Jimmy John's franchise owner. He currently owns nine Jimmy John's stores with a tenth under construction as of August 2019. Carl Buergler, Jimmy John's director of operations, played football at Purdue with Brees.

After starting off the 2017 season with a 29–19 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, Brees looked to bounce back in Week 2 against the New England Patriots. In the 36–20 loss, he was 27-of-45 for 356 yards and two touchdowns. During Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills, Brees was held to 184 passing yards, but the Saints combined for 298 rushing yards and won 47–10. In Week 13, he passed Peyton Manning for second place in career completions in a 31–21 victory over the Carolina Panthers. On December 19, 2017, Brees was named to his 11th career Pro Bowl. During Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, Brees became the third player to amass over 70,000 passing yards in a career, doing so in an NFL fastest 248 games. In that game he also earned his 12th straight 4,000-yard season and finished the game with 239 passing yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Saints won 23–13. Brees finished the 2017 season by setting a then-NFL record 72.0 completion percentage. He also led the league in number of completions (386) and yards per pass attempt (8.1), and came in second in passer rating (103.9).

Brees finished the season with 364 completions, 489 attempts, 3,992 passing yards, 32 passing touchdowns and five interceptions over 15 games. He sat out the season finale after the Saints had clinched the NFC's #1 seed the week prior. He set an NFL record for completion percentage (74.4%), breaking his previous record (72.0%) set in 2017, and led the league in passer rating (a career high of 115.7). However, with his 3,992 yards, his NFL record streak of 12 consecutive seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards came to an end. He led the league with six fourth quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives.

On March 13, 2018, Brees signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension with the Saints with $27 million guaranteed.

In April 2018, Brees filed a lawsuit against a San Diego jeweler. The lawsuit claims Brees and his wife paid $15 million for investment-grade diamonds that an independent appraiser valued at only $6 million. On June 21, 2019, Brees was awarded $6 million in the lawsuit.

In the first game of the season, a Monday Night Football match against the Houston Texans, Brees threw for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception as the Saints overcame a slow start to win 30–28. In the Saints' Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Brees completed 3 of 5 passes for 38 yards and an interception before an injury to his right hand forced him out of the game. The next day, an MRI revealed that Brees had suffered a torn ligament in the thumb of his right hand, which would require surgery and reportedly cause him to miss six to eight weeks. Brees returned in Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with 373 passing yards, three touchdowns, and an interception as the Saints won 31–9. In Week 11, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brees threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns in the 34–17 win. In Week 12, against the Carolina Panthers, he passed for 311 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in the 34–31 win. In Week 14, against the San Francisco 49ers, Brees completed 29 of 40 passes for 349 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions and scored a one-yard rushing touchdown, but his efforts were in vain as the Saints narrowly lost 48–46. During Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, Brees broke former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's record for most career touchdowns, throwing his 540th to tight end Josh Hill on his career-best 20th straight completion in the third quarter. Brees's record-breaking touchdown pass was his third touchdown pass on the night. He finished the game with four touchdowns and 304 yards as the Saints defeated the Colts by a 34–7 score. In addition, Brees completed 29 of his 30 pass attempts for a career high and NFL single game record 96.7% completion percentage rate, surpassing the previous record (28 out of 29 passes for a 96.6% completion percentage rate) which had been set the previous year by his former Chargers teammate Philip Rivers. In the following week's game against the Tennessee Titans, Brees threw for 279 yards and three touchdowns during the 38–28 win. During the game, Brees helped wide receiver Michael Thomas break the single season receptions record formerly held by Marvin Harrison with his 144th catch of the season. In Week 17, against the Carolina Panthers, Brees threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns during the 42–10 win. In the 2019 season, Brees appeared in 11 games and finished with 2,979 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He finished with a completion percentage of 74.34%, which finished second in NFL history to his record from the previous season.

In 2019, Brees partnered with San Diego Surf Sports to help with the local youth sports scene in the San Diego area.

In March 2019, Brees partnered with Brandon Landry, co-founder of Walk-On's, launching a new restaurant.

On March 17, 2020, Brees signed a two-year, $50 million contract extension with the Saints.

On June 3, 2020, during the George Floyd protests, Brees told Yahoo Finance that he stood by his 2016 opinion that kneeling during the national anthem was disrespectful to the flag and to the US. Several of his teammates and other professional athletes expressed disappointment and anger at the statement. He apologized early the next day.

In July 2020, Brees and his wife, Brittany, partnered with Ochsner Health System and donated $5 million through the Brees Dream Foundation to help build numerous healthcare centers throughout Louisiana.