Drew Brees to Join NBC Sports Team
(New Orleans, LA) New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees retired via Instagram on March 14, 2021. It was 15 years to the date that Brees signed as a free agent with the team.
Brees verified on NBC's TODAY SHOW with host Hoda Kotb, he will be joining NBC Sports. During last offseason, Brees inked a contract to join NBC's Sunday Night Football in 2022.
Brees said on the TODAY Show: “I’m part of the (NBC Sports) team now, a new team. I’m excited about that journey. I’m excited to stay very closely connected with the game of football. It’s been such an important part of my life. I can continue to talk about it and show a passion for it.”
Reports mention that Drew Brees will become a studio analyst for Football Night in America and game analyst for Notre Dame football. Brees will also work the Super Bowl and Olympics for the network.
“We’re excited to have Drew join our team,” said Pete Bevacqua, Chairman, NBC Sports Group. “We know that Drew will apply the same work ethic and continuously positive attitude to everything he touches at NBC Sports and we know, as his new teammates, he’ll make us better.”
UPDATES - JULY 11 and MARCH 15, 2021
Original Article
New York Post's Andrew Marchand broke the news that Brees will join NBC's Sunday Night Football broadcasting crew after he retires from the NFL. He reports NBC's deal with Brees could be as "competitive" as ESPN's $6M per year offer. ESPN was also attempting to lure Brees for their Monday Night Football team.
Once again, ESPN's second attempt to recruit a "big name" professional quarterback to the MNF booth failed. The network and CBS Sports' Color Analyst Tony Romo were in talks for him to join MNF. The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback decided to remain at CBS after offering him a lucrative $17M per year contract.
ESPN determined Brees' "asking price" was too steep and will pursue other talents. NBC and Drew Brees' representatives have not released official details regarding the signed agreement and its terms.
According to Marchand's article, the Drew Brees contract is "massive"; NBC has established a succession plan for Mike Tirico and Drew Brees to take over for Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth after Super Bowl 56 on February 6, 2022.
Drew Brees signed a 2 year, $50M contract to return as the New Orleans Saints quarterback for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. When the 2020 NFL commences, Brees will be the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing completion percentage. The future Hall of Fame quarterback can become the first NFL player to surpass 80,000 yards passing in a career.
New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton made reference to backup QB Taysom Hill as a prime candidate to secede Brees as the team's starting quarterback when Brees retires from the NFL.
Drew and his wife Brittany Brees donated $5M to the State of Louisiana to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. The novel coronavirus has spread throughout Louisiana with 19,253 reported cases and 755 confirmed deaths as of April 10, 2020.
The Brees' were guests on Ellen DeGeneres' show via video chat earlier this week to discuss their donation. Brees spoke about football's future, with or without fans, and encouraged citizens to remain hopeful in the virus' wake.
