New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is now the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing Peyton Manning for the top spot last night against the Washington Redskins.
Brees eclipsed Manning’s 71,940 career passing yards when he connected with rookie wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith for a 62-yard touchdown in the second quarter against the Redskins.
“It played out even greater than I ever could’ve imagined,” Brees told ESPN , adding he’d been thinking about what he would do when the moment finally arrived. Brees embraced his teammates on the field and made sure to show the home fans at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday Night Football before receiving hugs and kisses with his wife Brittany and their four children, telling his kids right after the play, “You can accomplish anything in life you’re willing to work for, right?”
“There’s so many people that are responsible and had a hand in that,” Brees told ESPN reporters after the game when they asked what breaking the record meant to him. “The two people that are most responsible for my football career, early on, my mom and my grandpa, are up in heaven.
“There were a lot of people I wanted to prove right tonight, but none more so than them. I know they are watching down on me.”
Congratulations, @drewbrees !
Peyton Manning’s really happy you broke his record.
Well … kind of. ? https://t.co/aUxXIDFzI8
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 9, 2018
Peyton Manning was a good sport about Brees surpassing his record, posting a hilarious video on the Denver Broncos official Twitter account after Brees threw that second-quarter touchdown.
“Drew, for 1,000 days, I’ve held the all-time record for passing yards in the NFL. I’ve got to tell you it’s been the greatest 1,000 days of my life. And thanks to you, that’s over now. And you’ve ruined that for me,” Manning said into the camera, clearly joking with Brees.
“Thank you very much. There’s nothing left to look forward to except slicing my tomatoes, getting dinner ready for my family, putting together this wedge salad.
“Also let this serve as the congratulations for the record, because as you see, I’m very busy. I don’t have the time to keep doing these videos for you congratulating you.”
Later in the video, Manning changes to a more serious, congratulatory tone, telling Brees, “You’ve done it the right way. All of your hard work and dedication have paid off.”
In response to seeing Manning’s video after the game, Brees was obviously both amused and appreciative of the two-time Superbowl winner acknowledging his achievement.
“In true Peyton fashion,” Brees said. “He always is very creative.”
