What is Drew Brees' Net Worth and Salary?
Drew Brees is a retired American professional NFL quarterback who has a net worth of $160 million. After making an impact in college football, Brees quickly established himself as one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. He retired from the NFL in March 2021. Prior to retiring he was a true asset for the New Orleans Saints, leading the NFL in touchdowns by a quarterback. Brees was also the leading quarterback in the league in terms of passing yards. Many consider Brees to be one of the best passers the game of football has ever seen, while some consider him to be the best quarterback of all time, period.
Early Life
Drew Christopher Brees was born on January 15th of 1979 in Dallas, Texas. Drew was raised alongside one brother, and his parents divorced when he was seven. Although the next period was rough for the boys, they developed a close relationship and helped each other deal with their emotions.
Brees eventually started playing flag football during high school, although he was also interested in several other sports – most notably basketball. After suffering a serious knee injury, Brees returned to sports and became a promising quarterback for his high school team. His statistics were stunning, with 50 touchdowns and 314 completed passes.
College Football
Despite proving himself as a high school quarterback, Brees wasn't heavily recruited by colleges. Only Kentucky and Purdue were interested, and he chose the latter due to their academic reputation. Drew didn't get his first start until his second year at college when coach Joe Tiller made him the offensive captain and taught him an unorthodox, spread offense strategy known as "basketball on grass."
Purdue were the underdogs in the college world, but Brees led them to several exciting upsets against much higher-rated teams. One notable example was a last-minute victory against Ohio State, in which Drew racked up four interceptions and a game-winning, 64-yard touchdown pass. By the end of his college football career, Brees had won numerous awards and accolades while breaking many records. Brees graduated from Purdue in 2001 with a degree in industrial management.
NFL
Just like his high school days, Drew's exemplary record at college wasn't enough to convince onlookers from the NFL. However, he was eventually selected by the San Diego Chargers in the 2001 Draft. Brees didn't get much playing time in his first season, as he was back up to starting quarterback Doug Flutie. However, his chance eventually came when Flutie suffered a concussion. Replacing the starting quarterback, Brees racked up over 200 passing yards and his first touchdown pass.
By 2002, he had replaced Flutie as the starting quarterback. However, lackluster performances prompted the Chargers to reverse their decision, making Flutie the starter once more. By 2003, Brees replaced Flutie a second time. Before the 2004 season, the Chargers acquired a new quarterback: Phillip Rivers.
Brees defended his position as the starting quarterback against Rivers. Indeed, the 2004 season was his best yet, as Drew established a 65.5% passing completion rate and a 104.8 passer rating. During that season, the Chargers also won the Western Division of the American Football Conference for the first time in ten years.
(Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Verizon)
Despite this, the Chargers were investing heavily into Phillip Rivers as their main future quarterback, and Brees was expected to leave. When Brees wasn't traded as expected, he continued for the Chargers with one final year as a franchise player. The season went well for Drew until the last game when he tore the labrum of his right shoulder. Serious concerns were raised, as this was his throwing shoulder. He subsequently received arthroscopic surgery to repair the shoulder.
After the Chargers refused to increase Bree's salary in a new, five-year contract, he signed with the only team that wasn't dissuaded by his recent injury – the New Orleans Saints. As it turned out, the injury did not affect Drew Bree in any conceivable way. He led the league in passing yards during his first seasons with the Saints, and in 2008 he became the second NFL player in history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season. After winning a number of awards and leading the Saints to their first Superbowl win, he was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2010.
In 2011, Brees won the much-coveted "triple crown," leading the league in completion percentage, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. That season, he also broke the NFL record for most passing yards in a single season, with 5,084. But despite Brees' accomplishments, the Saints struggled to maintain their form, faltering from 2014 to 2016.
In 2017, they returned to the playoffs after missing them since 2013. Brees and the Saints continued to establish a solid record over the next few years, and in 2018 they suffered a controversial playoff defeat against the Los Angeles Rams after a penalty was not given. In the 2019 season, Brees missed 8 weeks due to a torn ligament in his hand.
Salary and Contracts
In his first two decades in the NFL, Drew earned $250 million in salary alone. On average, he earns $15 million per year from endorsements. In 2005, Brees was given a one-year, $8-million contract by the Chargers. In 2006, he signed a 6-year, $60-million contract with the Saints which included nearly $22 million in bonuses. He has signed a number of contracts since 2006, including a five-year, $100-million contract (the most amount of guaranteed money in NFL history at the time), and a two-year, $50-million deal signed in 2018.
Between June 2016 and June 2017, Drew earned $50 million in salary, bonuses, and endorsements. Between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned $43 million. He earned another $40 million between 2018 and 2019. Between June 2019 and June 2020, he earned $45 million.
Real Estate
In 2003, Drew Brees and his wife purchased a property near Carmel Valley, California for $2.2 million. The house features 6,000 square feet of living space, a 6-car garage, and a pool. In 2012, he and his wife sold the property for a small profit margin, settling on a final price of $2.4 million. In 2006, Brees purchased a New Orleans property for $1.575 million.
In 2019, Drew Brees purchased a property in Lafayette. He then built a 49,000-square-foot family entertainment and sports facility on the land, called Surge Entertainment. The facility is reportedly state-of-the-art and provides family entertainment in a way that has never been done before.
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