<P> Drew Christopher Brees ( / briːz / ; ) ( born January 15 , 1979 ) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After a prolific college football career at Purdue University , he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft . He left college as one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history , establishing two NCAA records , 13 Big Ten Conference records , and 19 Purdue University records . As of 2017 , he remains the Big Ten record - holder in several passing categories , including completions ( 1,026 ) , attempts ( 1,678 ) , and yards ( 11,792 ) . </P>
<P> Drew Christopher Brees ( / briːz / ; ) ( born January 15 , 1979 ) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After a prolific college football career at Purdue University , he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft . He left college as one of the most decorated players in Purdue and Big Ten Conference history , establishing two NCAA records , 13 Big Ten Conference records , and 19 Purdue University records . As of 2017 , he remains the Big Ten record - holder in several passing categories , including completions ( 1,026 ) , attempts ( 1,678 ) , and yards ( 11,792 ) . </P>
when did drew brees start playing in the nfl
when did drew brees start playing in the nfl
2001
2001