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Don’t look now, but Drew Brees is on the cusp of making NFL history. Again.
Last year, he overtook Peyton Manning to become the league’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, finishing the 2020 season ranked above Tom Brady with 549 scores thrown in his career. But Brady leapfrogged Brees on Sunday in Tampa Bay’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders, now leading the race with 559 touchdown passes to Brees’ 558.
However, Brees can recover his record next week as the pair continue to jockey for position in the record books. Brees is scheduled to play the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Nov. 1, but Brady must wait until Monday, Nov. 2 to take the field again. They should continue to trade punches until the Buccaneers Week 13 bye, when Brees and the Saints visit the Atlanta Falcons.
So there’s a good chance Brees finishes the year where he started, as the NFL record-holder with strong bragging rights. But the expectation is that he won’t return for the final year of his contract in 2021, instead retiring to take the broadcasting position with NBC Sports he’s already lined up for himself. If that happens, Brady is likely to win in the end by playing another season with Tampa Bay.
But you never know just how things will turn out. Maybe Brees will surprise us yet again. Here’s the active leaders in career touchdown passes, with their ages in parentheses:
- Tom Brady (43): 559
- Drew Brees (41): 558
- Philip Rivers (38): 404
- Aaron Rodgers (36): 381
- Ben Roethlisberger (38): 376
- Matt Ryan (35): 333
- Matthew Stafford (32): 266
- Russell Wilson (31): 249
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