CBS Sports stirred up plenty of heat with its latest all-time NFL rankings, and Drew Brees was right in the middle of the backlash.
The former Saints star landed at No. 33 overall, a spot that had a lot of fans doing a double take. For a quarterback with Brees’ résumé, that number felt way too low to plenty of people online, especially with names like Sammy Baugh, O.J. Simpson, Brett Favre and Bruce Smith listed ahead of him.
Brees’ case is hard to dismiss. He retired as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards, finished with more than 80,000 career passing yards and threw 571 touchdown passes over 20 seasons.
He also led the league in passing yards seven times, and Bryan DeArdo laid out the résumé 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.
That didn’t stop fans from coming hard at CBS. One reaction captured the tone of the pushback: “You can’t make this up @CBSSports 😭 #Saints pic.twitter.com/m8GbhM2wgP”
A lot of the frustration came from the company Brees was keeping on the list. Fans pointed out that Dan Marino checked in at No. 10 and Aaron Rodgers at No. 11, while Brees sat all the way down at 33. To many, that gap just didn’t pass the smell test.
Saints fans, unsurprisingly, were loudest. They argued that Brees didn’t just put up numbers - he changed the franchise and sustained elite play for years.
One commenter fired back, “Baugh lost that title game 73-0,” while another said, “Drew Brees is a top 3 QB of all time and he ain’t number 3,”. Another reaction was blunt: “This can’t be real,”
The defense of Brees kept rolling from there. One fan wrote, “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”
CBS’ ranking also seemed to reflect the way championships can weigh heavily in these debates. Brees’ lack of multiple titles likely hurt him in this list, even though his production and efficiency stack up with the best ever. Many analysts still put him in the top 15 or top 20 quarterbacks of all time.
In the end, the CBS list did what these all-time rankings always do: it reopened the argument. Brees’ place in history isn’t up for debate for a big chunk of the fan base, but this ranking made clear that not everyone sees greatness the same way.
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