Drew Brees Shares Fiery, Impassioned Message He Had For Purdue's Football Team

Purdue legend and Hall of Famer Drew Brees stopped by practice on Monday and had a message for the team. He shared the video, and it's as good as you'd imagine.

New Orleans Saints retired quarterback Drew Brees (9). | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Earlier this week, Purdue welcomed a legend back to campus. Newly inducted Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees stopped by practice on Monday, fresh off a weekend-long celebration in Canton. Before leaving West Lafayette, he wanted to share a special message with this year's Boilermaker squad.

Throughout the week, many players and coaches were asked about what Brees said to the team during his visit. Everyone spoke about what a privilege it was to have the Purdue great at practice, but there weren't many details about his message.

For those still curious, Brees posted the video to his YouTube page. It's as good as you are imagining, and it will have everyone ready for the start of Purdue's football season.

Purdue has plenty of motivation heading into the 2026 season after going winless in the Big Ten each of the last two seasons. But Brees's speech to the team may give this group a little extra juice to prove the doubters wrong this fall.

The Boilers will open the 2026 campaign at Ross-Ade Stadium on Friday, Sept. 4, against Indiana State.

Brees spoke highly of his time at Purdue

Drew Brees looks down field during the NCAA football game. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In case you couldn't tell from the video, Brees takes a lot of pride in playing at and graduating from Purdue. He remains invested in the program and frequently returns to campus to support the football program.

During a press conference while in Canton, Brees spoke highly of his alma mater.

"I chose Purdue because of its academic reputation, playing in the Big Ten," Brees said. "Very quickly, you realize all the incredible things about Purdue. I learned about the Cradle of Quarterbacks. That's something that still people probably don't realize about the university. ... If you want to be a quarterback or an astronaut, go to Purdue."

Brees had an incredible career at Purdue, breaking numerous Big Ten records and leading the Boilermakers to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl trip in 2000. In the NFL, he guided the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl title.

Purdue working through fall camp

Purdue Boilermakers head coach Barry Odom walks on the sidelines. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boilermakers have made it through the first full week of fall camp and continue to push towards that Sept. 4 date. This weekend, the Boilermakers might have a better understanding of what the depth chart looks like.

Entering fall camp, head coach Barry Odom didn't assemble a depth chart, focusing more on getting quality reps. That could change, at least to some degree, this weekend when Purdue holds its first scrimmage of fall camp.

Although Odom won't carve out any roles just yet, this weekend's scrimmage could make things a little bit clearer at certain positions.

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