Former New Orleans Saints star quarterback and Super Bowl champion Drew Brees will join ESPN’s popular sports debate show “First Take,” according to reports.
Brees will be a weekly contributor on Tuesday episodes of “First Take” for the remainder of the NFL season, Barrett Sports Media reports. He appeared on “First Take” on Tuesday alongside longtime featured commentator Stephen A. Smith.
Brees’ agreement with ESPN is non-exclusive, meaning he is able to broadcast on Netflix for the NFL’s Christmas day games, per BSM. He previously worked on NBC’s “Football Night in America” in 2021 after retiring from the NFL after 20 seasons in 2020.
Last month, ESPN signed former NFL MVP Cam Newton to a multi-year extension to expand his role on “First Take.” The studio debate show features Stephen A. Smith and airs weekday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon EST.
Brees ranks second in NFL history in career passing yards (80,358), completions (7,142) and touchdowns (571), all behind former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady. He was named Super Bowl MVP when he led the Saints to win Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17, in February 2010.
A collegiate star at Purdue, Brees was drafted by the then-San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played his first five seasons with the Chargers before signing with New Orleans, where he played for 15 seasons.