CBS Sports lit up NFL fans this week with an all-time rankings list that put Drew Brees at No. 33 overall, a spot plenty of people immediately called way too low.
For a quarterback who piled up one of the most productive careers the league has ever seen, the placement landed like a slap. Brees finished as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, went to 13 Pro Bowls, and won a Super Bowl MVP. He also led the league in passing yards seven different times, a level of consistency that made his ranking stand out even more.
Bryan DeArdo summed up the case for Brees this way: “Brees took the baton from Steve Young as the most efficient quarterback in league history. He led the NFL in passing yards seven times, completion percentage six times and touchdown passes four times. He retired as a former Super Bowl MVP and the NFL’s career passing leader,” Bryan DeArdo wrote.
Fans did not hold back after seeing Brees buried behind names like Sammy Baugh, O.J. Simpson, Brett Favre and Bruce Smith.
One of the loudest complaints was the gap between Brees and other quarterbacks on the list, with Dan Marino at No. 10 and Aaron Rodgers at No. 11 drawing particular attention. That distance felt extreme to a lot of people online.
Saints fans were especially vocal. Brees’ impact in New Orleans has always been part of his argument, and many supporters said the ranking ignored how he changed the franchise and delivered elite play for years. “Baugh lost that title game 73-0,” one said.
Another fan put it even more bluntly: “Drew Brees is a top 3 QB of all time and he ain’t number 3,” another added.
Others simply couldn’t believe the list at all. “This can’t be real,” one wrote.
Another comment captured the frustration that often follows Brees in these debates: “Unfortunately as time goes on since Brees retired he will continue to get disrespected. It happened when he played and was dropping 300+ passing yards/ week on teams so I’m not shocked. Real ones know his talent,” one commented.
Brees’ numbers still speak loudly enough on their own. He finished with more than 80,000 career passing yards and 571 touchdown passes over 20 seasons. His accuracy and volume made him one of the defining quarterbacks of his era, even in a league packed with stars.
Still, championships tend to carry a lot of weight in these all-time conversations, and that likely played a part in CBS taking a more cautious approach. Plenty of analysts would still have Brees inside the top 15 or top 20 quarterbacks ever. CBS did not.
And that’s why the debate is back again. Brees’ place in history isn’t going anywhere, but the list gave fans another reason to argue about what greatness should really look like.
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