Drew Brees Career Stats: Season by Season Passing Numbers, Records and Awards

Drew Brees threw for 80,358 yards and 571 touchdowns over 20 seasons with San Diego and New Orleans, both second all time. He won Super Bowl XLIV and its MVP award and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026. Every season is below.

DREW BREES · 2001 TO 2020
80,358 yards · 571 TD
287 games · 67.7 completion percentage · 98.7 rating · Gold rows are 5,000 yard seasons
Year Team G Cmp-Att Yards TD INT Rating
2001 San Diego 1 15-27 221 1 0 94.8
2002 San Diego 16 320-526 3,284 17 16 76.9
2003 San Diego 11 205-356 2,108 11 15 67.5
2004 San Diego 15 262-400 3,159 27 7 104.8
2005 San Diego 16 323-500 3,576 24 15 89.2
2006 New Orleans 16 356-554 4,418 26 11 96.2
2007 New Orleans 16 440-652 4,423 28 18 89.4
2008 New Orleans 16 413-635 5,069 34 17 96.2
2009 New Orleans 15 363-514 4,388 34 11 109.6
2010 New Orleans 16 448-658 4,620 33 22 90.9
2011 New Orleans 16 468-657 5,476 46 14 110.6
2012 New Orleans 16 422-670 5,177 43 19 96.3
2013 New Orleans 16 446-650 5,162 39 12 104.7
2014 New Orleans 16 456-659 4,952 33 17 97.0
2015 New Orleans 15 428-627 4,870 32 11 101.0
2016 New Orleans 16 471-673 5,208 37 15 101.7
2017 New Orleans 16 386-536 4,334 23 8 103.9
2018 New Orleans 15 364-489 3,992 32 5 115.7
2019 New Orleans 11 281-378 2,979 27 4 116.3
2020 New Orleans 12 275-390 2,942 24 6 106.4
Career 20 seasons 287 7,142-10,551 80,358 571 243 98.7

Postseason

Brees went 9-9 in 18 playoff starts and threw for 5,366 yards, 37 touchdowns and 15 interceptions with a 97.1 rating. His best run was 2009, when he went 3-0 with eight touchdowns and no interceptions and was named MVP of Super Bowl XLIV.

Where He Ranks

  • Second all time in passing yards, behind Tom Brady’s 89,214
  • Second all time in passing touchdowns, behind Brady’s 649
  • Five 5,000 yard seasons, more than every other quarterback combined at the time he retired
  • His 5,476 yards in 2011 stood as the single season record
  • Career completion percentage of 67.7, and he set the single season record at 74.4 in 2018
  • NFL record holder for 300 yard passing games
  • Led the league in passing yards seven times and in touchdown passes in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012

Awards

  • Super Bowl XLIV champion and MVP
  • 13 Pro Bowls
  • First team All Pro in 2006, second team in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2018
  • AP Offensive Player of the Year in 2008 and 2011
  • AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2004
  • Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2006
  • Bert Bell Award as NFL Player of the Year in 2009
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2026

The Career Arc

San Diego took Brees in the second round out of Purdue in 2001 and let him leave after a shoulder injury in 2005. New Orleans signed him that offseason, and over the next 15 years he threw for more than 68,000 yards, won a title in a city rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and passed Peyton Manning for the career records in both yards and touchdowns. He retired after the 2020 season at 42.

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