Brees is closing in on Peyton Manning’s record for most career passing yards.
Drew Brees only needs to throw for 201 more yards to pass Peyton Manning as the all-time leading passer in NFL history. He’ll almost certainly get past that number when the New Orleans Saints host Washington on Monday night — since the start of the 2011 season, Brees has passed for fewer than 200 yards in just three games.
Brees has been a highly efficient and durable quarterback since he first entered the league in 2001. Not only is he one of the most prolific passers in NFL history, but he’s only missed one game due to injury. That recipe for success means Brees already has some gaudy records attached to his Hall of Fame career.
Now in his 18th season and still functioning as an elite player, Brees could easily add a few more to his name before calling it quits ... whenever he decides to do that.
It’s been just three years since Manning broke Brett Favre’s career passing yards record. With quarterbacks throwing more than ever in today’s NFL, the record could keep falling — especially as the career longevity of quarterbacks is in increasing. Tom Brady, who holds a long list of his own records, is already in his 40s and Brees will turn 40 in January of next year.
But no matter how long they stand, we can still appreciate the feats that Drew Brees has accomplished in his illustrious career. Even Manning said that Brees “deserves” to break his records.
Here’s a look at the records he owns and which he has a chance to break before he calls it a career. Let’s start with his most impressive ones:
Brees’ 3 most impressive records
- Career completion percentage (67.1 percent): No matter who he’s had at receiver, running back, and tight end, Brees finds a way to get the job done. Completion percentage isn’t the best stat to use when looking at quarterback skill (Chad Pennington is second on the list at 66 percent), but completing that many passes while inching toward the all-time attempts mark is nuts.
- Consecutive seasons with 4,500 passing yards (7, 2010-16): Even in today’s pass-heavy game, 4,500 yards is still a major benchmark. In 2017, there were two quarterbacks who hit the 4,500-yard benchmark. In 2016, there were three. Brees did it seven times in a row. God tier status.
- Single-season passing yards per game (342.3 yards, 2011; tied with Peyton Manning in 2013): Brees’ 2011 season was one for the ages. He threw for an incredible 5,476 yards, which was the single-season record until Peyton Manning threw for 5,477 yards in 2013. In that season Brees completed 71.2 percent of his passes, threw 46 touchdowns, and had just 14 interceptions. That’s pretty good!
Other NFL records Brees holds
- Career completions (6,344)
- Total completions in a season (471 in 2016)
- Single-season completion percentage (72 percent in 2017)
- Touchdown passes in a single game (tied for first with 7)
- Consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54)
- Consecutive games with 300 passing yards (9, twice)
- Most 5,000-yard passing seasons (5)
- Most seasons leading the league in passing (7)
Records that Brees has a chance to pass
- Career passing attempts: The leader for career passing attempts is Brett Favre with 10,169 attempts. Brees is in second place with a ways to go at 9,455 attempts, but there isn’t anyone who can currently challenge him. The only active player close to Brees is Brady, who has 8,984 attempts. Brees is on pace to throw 644 passes this year, which would all but guarantee him the record come 2019, provided he continues to stay healthy.
- Career passing touchdowns: Brees is neck and neck with Brady for the passing touchdowns. Brees has 496, while Brady hit his 500th touchdown in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton Manning holds the record with 539 yards, but with 40 touchdowns to go for Brady and 44 to go for Brees, there’s a great chance that the record comes down during the 2019 season.
- Most starts in NFL history: At 252 starts during the regular season, Brees has 47 games to go to pass Favre’s mark of 298 games, which is entirely possible if his level of play doesn’t dip. Brady is right ahead of Brees at 256 starts, so it might come down to who plays the longest. Like Brady, Brees has said he could play until he’s 45.