Drew Brees Net Worth

What is Drew Brees' Net Worth and Salary?

Drew Brees is a retired American professional NFL quarterback who has a net worth of $220 million. Drew Brees had a remarkable 20-year career in the NFL as a quarterback. Drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, he played five seasons there before joining the New Orleans Saints in 2006, where he became a franchise icon.

Brees led the Saints to their first and only Super Bowl victory in 2010, earning MVP honors. He was selected to 13 Pro Bowls and named First-team All-Pro once. Brees won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award twice and led the league in passing yards a record seven times. Known for his accuracy and leadership, Brees retired in 2021 holding numerous NFL records, including career passing yards (80,358), career pass completions (7,142), and single-season completion percentage (74.4%). He's the only quarterback to pass for over 5,000 yards in a season five times.

Off the field, Brees was known for his charitable work, particularly in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. His impact extended beyond football, as he became a symbol of the city's resilience and recovery.

Contracts, Salaries & Career Earnings

Drew Brees retired not just as one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history, but as one of its most financially successful players. Over a 20-year career and his post-retirement ventures, Brees accumulated an estimated $450 million in total earnings, combining elite NFL contracts with one of the most aggressive off-field business portfolios in sports.

While his total NFL salary and bonuses came in at approximately $270 million, Brees separated himself from most of his peers through endorsements and franchise investments that consistently generated eight-figure annual income.

Brees' financial foundation began modestly. As a second-round pick by the San Diego Chargers in 2001, he earned roughly $14.7 million over his first five seasons. His final year with the team, played under the franchise tag, marked his first major payday and set the stage for his next contract.

That breakthrough came in 2006 when he signed with the New Orleans Saints. Over the next several years, Brees became both the face of the franchise and a central figure in the city's post-Katrina resurgence. In 2012, he signed a five-year, $100 million contract that included $60 million guaranteed, at the time the largest guaranteed sum in NFL history.

From 2013 through his retirement in 2020, Brees remained firmly in the league's top earning tier. He consistently ranked among the highest-paid quarterbacks, and his final contract extension, a two-year, $50 million deal signed in 2020, brought his total on-field earnings to just under $270 million.

Off the field is where Brees truly distinguished himself.

Throughout his playing career and beyond, he was one of the most prolific pitchmen in professional sports, regularly earning between $12 million and $15 million per year from endorsements. His long-standing partnerships included major brands such as Nike, PepsiCo, Microsoft, AdvoCare, and Wrangler.

He also took a franchise-focused approach to investing, building stakes in multiple restaurant and consumer businesses, including Jimmy John's, Dunkin', and Waitr. These ventures provided a steady stream of income that extended well beyond his playing days.

In total, Brees generated an estimated $140 million from endorsements and at least $40 million from business investments, bringing his career earnings to roughly $450 million.

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Early Life

Drew Christopher Brees was born on January 15th, 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.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

NFL Career

Despite a record-setting college career at Purdue, Drew Brees entered the NFL with lingering doubts about his size and arm strength. He was ultimately selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 Draft.

Brees saw limited action as a rookie, serving as the backup to veteran quarterback Doug Flutie. His first real opportunity came late in the season when Flutie suffered a concussion, and Brees stepped in to deliver a solid performance that included over 200 passing yards and his first NFL touchdown.

By 2002, Brees had taken over as the Chargers' starting quarterback, though inconsistency led to a brief return to Flutie before Brees reclaimed the job in 2003. The following year proved to be his breakout season. Despite the team drafting quarterback Philip Rivers as its presumed future starter, Brees delivered a career-best performance in 2004, posting a 65.5% completion rate and a 104.8 passer rating while leading the Chargers to their first AFC West title in a decade.

Even with that success, the Chargers remained committed to Rivers long-term. Brees played the 2005 season under the franchise tag and performed well until suffering a serious shoulder injury in the final game of the year, tearing the labrum in his throwing arm. The injury raised major concerns about his future, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair the damage.

With the Chargers unwilling to commit to him on a long-term deal, Brees entered free agency and signed with the New Orleans Saints, one of the few teams willing to take a chance on his recovery.

The move proved transformative.

Brees immediately emerged as one of the league's most productive quarterbacks, leading the NFL in passing yards multiple times. In 2008, he became just the second player in league history to throw for over 5,000 yards in a single season. His peak came during the 2009 season, when he led the Saints to their first Super Bowl victory and was named Super Bowl MVP. The following year, he was honored as Sports Illustrated's "Sportsman of the Year."

In 2011, Brees delivered one of the greatest passing seasons in NFL history, leading the league in completion percentage, passing yards, and touchdowns to capture the rare "triple crown." He also set a new single-season passing record with 5,084 yards.

While the Saints experienced some inconsistency in the mid-2010s, Brees remained one of the league's most reliable and productive quarterbacks. The team returned to the playoffs in 2017 and remained a contender over the following seasons, including a controversial 2018 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams that hinged on a missed pass interference call.

In 2019, Brees missed several games after suffering a torn ligament in his throwing hand but returned to continue his run as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history.

(Photo by Mike Windle/Getty Images for Verizon)

Jewelry Lawsuit

In 2018, Drew Brees was involved in a high-profile lawsuit against a La Jolla jeweler named Vahid Moradi. Brees and his wife, Brittany, claimed that Moradi had misrepresented the value of diamonds he sold them, leading to a significant financial loss.

The lawsuit alleged that Moradi had made false claims about the investment value of the diamonds, selling them at inflated prices. Brees claimed to have spent around $15 million over several years at the jeweler on various items including watches, earrings and other rings, partly under the pretense that it was a good investment would appreciate in value. Moradi's attorney fired back hard with a completely different view of the situation in a statement, contradicting the basic premise of Brees' lawsuit:

"Drew Brees aggressively purchased multi-million dollar pieces of jewelry. Years later, claiming to suffer 'cash flow problems,' he tried to bully my client into undoing the transactions."

"Mr. Brees's behavior and his belief that he was wronged because the jewelry did not appreciate in value as quickly as he hoped both demonstrate a lack of integrity and contradict basic principles of both economics and the law."

"He should restrict his game-playing to the football field and refrain from bullying honest, hard-working businessmen like my client."

After a trial, a jury found in favor of Drew Brees and his wife, awarding them over $6 million in damages.

NBC Broadcasting Contract

In April 2020, it was announced that Drew had signed a contract to do television commentary for NBC. The deal paid him a salary of $6 million per year. Unfortunately, the deal ended after just one season.

Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images

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, LA. 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.

In October 2020, Drew acquired a unit at the brand-new Four Seasons New Orleans Hotel & Private Residences. He paid an undisclosed sum in the "several million dollars" range for his spot in the hotel. Details about the no-doubt spacious unit aren't exactly plentiful as of now (according to its official site it's not even opening up until early next year), but we do know that Brees' residence in the complex will entitle him to some outstanding views of both the French Quarter and the Mississippi River, as well as amenities like a private bar and lounge to a high-tech golf simulator room.

In January 2024, Drew listed a 20-acre property in Whitefish, Montana, for $7.95 million. The property features a custom-built estate that was completed a year earlier. The property is located within the 1,400-acre "Homestead" gated community. Here is a video tour:

Philanthropy

In June 2020, Drew and his wife pledged $5 million to Second Harvest Food Bank located in Lafayette, Louisiana. In August 2020, they pledged another $5 million.

Altogether, the Brees Dream Foundation has contributed $35 million and counting to various causes around the world since it was established in 2003.

Who's Richer?

Drew
Brees

Compare!

Peyton
Manning