Top 10 moments of Drew Brees' career

Drew Brees retired Sunday, marking the end of an illustrious 20-year career. Brees will go down as one of the most decorated passers in NFL history after etching his name in the record books. Here are the top 10 moments of his career.

10. Wins CPOY, leads Chargers to postseason

Brees was no stranger to adversity, and one of his biggest hurdles came early in his career. The then-San Diego Chargers showed signs of souring on Brees after a poor 2003 season, and the trade for Philip Rivers during the 2004 NFL Draft didn't help matters.

The 25-year-old passer responded by winning Comeback Player of the Year and guiding the Chargers to their first postseason appearance since 1995.

Brees battled during the wild-card game against the New York Jets, throwing for two touchdowns and 319 yards. But the Chargers ultimately fell short in overtime.

Brees' 2004 campaign earned him his first of 13 Pro Bowl nods.

9. Joins Saints in free agency

The New Orleans Saints banked on Brees reversing the franchise's fortune when they signed him during the 2006 offseason, and he did just that over the next 15 years.

San Diego was put off by Brees' injury concerns - he was coming off labrum surgery - and the Miami Dolphins opted to choose Dante Culpeper instead due to concerns following a six-hour physical.

The Saints were the only team that believed in the passer, and Brees repaid their faith with wins - a lot of them.

Brees won 142 regular-season starts since 2006, with only Tom Brady ahead of him. He also re-established a playoff identity for the Saints; his tenure in New Orleans included seven division titles, nine playoff appearances, and one Super Bowl victory.

8. Breaks Unitas' decades-long record

NFL records fell with regularity once Brees joined the Saints. The first to go was Johnny Unitas' streak for the most consecutive games with a touchdown pass.

Facing Rivers and the Chargers, Brees threw a touchdown in his 48th straight contest to break a record that stood for 52 years.

7. Knocks off Giants with 7-TD performance

No quarterback brought more meaning to "the best defense is a good offense" than Brees did.

At the peak of his dominance, it almost didn't matter how many points the opposition scored on the Saints' defense, because the team knew Brees would save the day. And on Nov. 1, 2015, he did just that.

Brees became just the eighth quarterback to throw seven touchdown passes in a game during a high-powered shootout against the New York Giants. The Saints needed all seven of his scores to narrowly escape with a 52-49 victory. His final touchdown of the day tied the game with just 36 seconds remaining before Kai Forbath knocked a walk-off field goal for the win.

Brees' performance against the Giants was a perfect encapsulation of how cerebral he was on the field.

6. Shatters record for most passing yards in season

Dan Marino revolutionized the game and set numerous passing records, but he learned an important lesson after his retirement: records don't take long to fall when Brees is chasing them.

During the 2008 season, Brees became the first passer since Marino to throw for over 5,000 yards, but he fell just 15 yards shy of the former Miami Dolphins quarterback's mark (5,084).

Marino's record became a footnote just three years later. Brees shattered the Hall of Famer's long-standing accomplishment in front of a national audience during a Week 16 Monday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons. A nine-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles pushed Brees ahead of Marino, but he still had one more game to go.

Brees finished the 2011 campaign by winning the NFL's triple crown, leading the league in completion percentage (71.2), touchdown passes (46), and passing yards (5,476).

The Saints quarterback's performance essentially served as the game's introduction to the passing era. Brees owned the NFL record for just a few more seasons until Peyton Manning beat him out by just one yard in 2013.

5. Perfect performance vs. Patriots

The signature performance of Brees' career came in a massive Monday night matchup during the Saints' Super Bowl-winning season.

The Saints were 10-0 when they welcomed Tom Brady and his New England Patriots to the Superdome. Brees put together a perfect 158.3 passer rating as he led New Orleans to a 38-17 rout.

Brees completed 18 of 23 passes for 371 yards and five touchdowns.

He was at his peak. Brees delivered pinpoint passes through tight windows for big touchdowns all night. No one could stop him or the Saints that season.

4. Saints' post-Hurricane Katrina revival

When Brees signed with the Saints in 2006, he joined a team that won three games the previous season in a region that was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. There was no guarantee the Superdome would even remain the team's home.

The 2006 Saints provided local fans with hope and something to cheer for, however. New Orleans won its first two games on the road and then hosted the Falcons in the refurbished Superdome on Monday Night Football in Week 3.

It was billed as a rebirth, for both a team that was displaced the season prior and a city that had to overcome massive floods. In one of the more emotional and memorable football games in recent memory, the Saints celebrated their return home with a 23-3 thrashing of their division rivals.

Brees wasn't the star of the show - he didn't throw a touchdown pass in the game and finished 20-for-28 for 191 yards - but his decision to rebuild his arm with the Saints as New Orleans underwent its own rebuild led to a decade-plus of success for both.

3. Breaks record for career passing TDs

If there's one thing Brees knows, it's touchdown passes.

In 2019, Brees became the league's all-time leader in passing scores when he threw the 540th of his career. He passed Peyton Manning's mark of 539 and did so against Manning's former team on a Monday night.

The big stage again brought the best out of Brees, as he set a single-game record for completion percentage, completing all but one of his 30 passes in the victory.

Unfortunately, he didn't hold the record for long. Brees and Brady traded the mark throughout the 2020 season, and the latter now sits atop the leaderboard with 581.

2. Breaks career passing yards record

Brees cemented himself as one of the NFL's all-time greats by breaking the league's passing record in 2018.

He surpassed two legends in one night to reach the mark. Entering the evening trailing both Manning and Brett Favre and needing 201 yards to break the record, Brees topped both before halftime.

He broke Manning's record of 71,740 career passing yards two years after the mark was set.

The occasion was celebrated with a break in action during which Brees was feted by teammates, family, and Saints owner Gayle Benson.

Brees still owns the record, but Brady is again breathing down his neck. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback trails by 1,154 yards and has signed a contract extension through 2022.

1. Winning a Super Bowl for New Orleans

Brees brought hope, optimism, and support to Saints fans, but he delivered arguably the best gift of all at the conclusion of the 2009 season: the team's first Lombardi trophy.

He went toe to toe with Manning in Super Bowl XLIV. Brees threw a go-ahead touchdown to Jeremy Shockey with just over five minutes to go up 24-17. The score would prove to be the game-winner after cornerback Tracy Porter recorded a pick-6 to clinch a 31-17 victory.

The decorated passer was a one-man wrecking crew en route to the Super Bowl, helping his team clinch home-field advantage through the playoffs thanks to a 13-0 start. Brees took his game to another level from there, as he finished with eight touchdown passes, no interceptions, and a 117 passer rating during the postseason, earning Super Bowl MVP to cap off his year.

The 2009 Super Bowl run will be one of many feats mentioned when Brees is up for Hall of Fame consideration. But to the city of New Orleans, it will surely be his most important.