<span>The New Orleans Saints announced today that they have agreed to terms with veteran quarterback Mark Brunell. The announcement was made by Saints' Executive Vice President/general Manager Mickey Loomis.
Brunell is a 15-year NFL veteran who spent the past four seasons (2004-2007) with the Washington Redskins after having been acquired via a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars in March of 2004.
A three-time Pro Bowl selection, Brunell has played in 157 career regular season games over the course of his career (1993-2007) and thrown for 31,826 yards. Owning a career completion percentage just shy of 60% (2,738 completions on 4,594 attempts), the former University of Washington signal-caller owns 182 touchdown passes to 105 interceptions for a passer rating of 84.2. In addition, the 6-1, 217-pound lefthander has rushed for 2,433 yards on 509 carries for a 4.8 average and 15 touchdowns.
Brunell broke into the NFL as a fifth-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers in 2003 before being acquired by the Jaguars in their first-ever trade on April 21, 1995. He earned the starting quarterback's position in the Jaguars' inaugural season and by the end of his second season (1996) as a starter, and led the Jaguars to the AFC Championship game.
Brunell played for Jacksonville through the 2003 season and earned Pro Bowl honors in 1996, 1997 and in 2001.
While with the Redskins, Brunell had his best season in Washington in 2005, when he completed 262-of-454 passes for 3,050 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while leading the Redskins to the postseason. In 2006, Brunell set a single-game NFL record for consecutive pass completions, connecting on his first 22 attempts in a 31-15 victory over the Houston Texans.
No stranger to the postseason, Brunell has started 10-of-the-11 postseason games in his career and completed 156-of-307 passes for 1,833 yards with 11 touchdowns and interceptions.
Brunell graduated from St. Joseph High School in Santa Maria, California, where he was a three-year letterman at quarterback and safety.
Known as one of the most active players in the community throughout his career, Brunell and his wife, Stacy, operate the Brunell Family Foundation, which is committed to enriching the lives of children who face chronic of life-threatening illnesses. The Foundation has contributed over $700,000 to Jacksonville's Wolfson Children's Hospital, specifically to children receiving pediatric pr neonatal intensive care. In 2001, the hospital opened the Brunell Family Children's Neurodiagnostic Center.
