Legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees stopped by to give Saints fans a Christmas gift as he sat down with his former teammate on Going Long with Chase Daniel.
The two quarterbacks discussed Brees' career from start to finish from his time at Purdue University, to his career-threatening injury suffered with the San Diego Chargers, to the 2010 Saints victory in Super Bowl XLIV, to his involvement in football after his playing days and more.
The two began with Brees' time at Westlake High School in Austin, Texas and noted how close he was to quitting football to focus his pursuit on baseball.
"I remember literally pulling into my garage," Brees said. "My mom picked me up from practice. She could see I was upset, get home and say middle of the training camp. I'm like, 'Mom, I think I'm going to quit football.' She's like 'Why would you do that?' I'm like, 'I'm never going to play, you know? Got Johnny (Rodgers) in front of me. He's a stud. I'll never see the field. Why am I wasting my time?' And she's like, 'Do you love it?' I said, 'Yes, I love it. I love being with the guys of the team atmosphere.' I said, 'I just feel like I'm wasting my time.' She said, 'Well, you never know when your opportunity will come, so just stick it out during training camp, stick it out this season, then you can re-evaluate at that time.' And literally a week later, we played in a scrimmage against Killeen. That going into the start of the season and Johnny tore his ACL. So now he's out and I'm the starter."
Brees as lightly recruited despite his success in high school and eventually decided to join the Purdue Boilermakers. Brees said he knew little about Purdue before being recruited and thought it was an Ivy League school. He would acclimate quickly and become a three-year starter for Purdue setting numerous school and conference records.
"Then everybody going in my junior year was like, 'You're the favorite for the Heisman,' and 'Are you going to leave early?' I'm like, 'Leave early to go where?' I'm like 'To the NFL?' And that was honestly the first time I thought, man, I have an opportunity to go play in the NFL," he said. "It was really not on my radar. I was just so focused on being a student."
Brees as selected in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He discussed his ups and downs from his time with the Chargers, from being benched four times to being named to the Pro Bowl. He also discussed his last game with the team in Week 16 of the 2005 season where he would suffer a substantial shoulder injury, dislocated his shoulder through the bottom of the joint, suffered a 360-degree tear of his labrum and a 50 percent tear of his rotator cuff while trying to recover a fumble.
"Walking off the field I'm going that was last time I put on a Charger uniform and I'm like maybe the last time I ever play football," Brees said.
Luckily for Saints fans, that would not be the last time he played football, as he joined the team in free agency ahead of the 2006 season.
That team went 10-6 before losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game. Brees said it was a storybook season, but that the team played "over our head." 2009, however, was a different story.
"It was the most competitive offseason I've ever been a part of, like going at it every day," Brees said. "And knowing that like, man when we get into the season here, we're not going to play against anybody that's better than what we're going against every day in practice."
Brees said the way the team opened the season helped create a momentum.
"Then there was just a mentality that every time we stepped on the field we were going to break a record," he said. "We were going to do something that's never been done before. We were going to show you something that's just going to surprise you. So there was just this momentum that was created."
That season ended in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
Brees also discussed some of the Saints near misses during his tenure, namely the 2011 season where Brees said it was the best team from "top to bottom" and the 2018 season where the Saints were one whistle away in the NFC championship from a Super Bowl berth.
"It just goes to show you how hard it is to win it all, because there was two other years, '11 and '18, where I felt like we had the best team in football," Brees said.
As for life after his time in the NFL, Brees has not stayed away from the game he played 20 years professionally.
"I feel like I've found myself on every side of the game now, obviously as a player and coaching my kids, doing the broadcasting thing, both broadcasting games, but also being in studio, being on the sideline, being part of a set on game day," he said. "I feel like I've got exposure to all of it."
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
Check out the pregame arrivals and warm-ups from the New Orleans Saints Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL Season on Oct. 17, 2024 in the Caesars Superdome.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
The Saints honored Drew Brees during their Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos with a halftime ceremony to induct him into the Saints Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable impact on the franchise and the city.
