Look, there’s no doubting whether Drew Brees is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in NFL history. But it’s still good to see it written down and backed up by the numbers. Brees is once again the NFL’s all-time leader in completion percentage after some young aspirants to his title took a nosedive — his career mark of 67.7% is the highest measured at Pro Football Reference out of 208 qualifying quarterbacks, meaning those who have attempted at least 14 passes per game as well as at least 1,500 career pass attempts.
Brees was briefly unseated by Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who returned from his league-mandated suspension for alleged sexual misconduct with a lot of rust to knock off. Watson notched completion percentages of 54.5%, 61.9%, and 64.3% in three games with the Browns so far, but he has a chance at leveling out against the Saints themselves on Sunday afternoon. He’s completed 60.0% of his passes for the Browns through three games so far, and those poor performances dropped Watson’s career number from 67.8% down to 67.5%.
What about other contenders? San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (67.6%) is on the mend, as is Arizona Cardinals passer Kyler Murray (66.8%). NFC playoff hopefuls Dak Prescott and Kirk Cousins (both 66.7%) are on Brees’ heels, as are Los Angeles Chargers standout Justin Herbert (66.6%) and his former protégé Teddy Bridgewater (66.4%). Kansas City Chiefs MVP favorite Patrick Mahomes (66.3%) rounds out the group of active passers with a claim to Brees’ title.
So it’s all but certain that Brees will be surpassed again someday — likely for good. That’s just how it goes. But he’s a surefire lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in a few years regardless of who owns this record. Brees claimed dozens of them during his storied NFL career, and he’ll hold onto many of them for quite a long time. Before we know, he’ll have his own bronze bust enshrined in Canton to make sure his accomplishments aren’t ever forgotten.
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