How Much Money Does Drew Brees Make

Drew Brees' football future has come into clearer focus this week with his retirement from the NFL and New Orleans Saints, but it won't take him far from the game he's played for decades.

The quarterback announced Sunday his career would end after 20 seasons, and he confirmed the following morning he had accepted a deal to join the NBC broadcast crew as an analyst.

But questions still remain, such as:

How will Brees' deal stack up with other former players calling games?
Where can Saints fans expect to see Brees' face on TV next?
Will there soon be a Brees-themed telestrator nickname as oddly accurate as "Romostradamus?"

Let's start by breaking down what we know -- and what we don't -- in regard to Brees' deal to join NBC.

WHAT'S THE DEAL?

Unlike the NFL, television networks aren't required to reveal exhaustive specifics of the contracts they issue. Some basic contract figures have been reported among the biggest broadcast names, led by Tony Romo's whopping 10-year, $180 million deal to lead CBS' coverage.

That is not the case for Brees as of yet, though it's clear his annual earnings will take something of a dip from his playing days. The future Hall-of-Famer finished his Saints career on a 2-year, $50 million contract and with career earnings close to $270 million.

When news first broke before the 2020 season that Brees had chosen to join NBC, it was reported he did so while passing on a similar offer from ESPN with a salary in the range of $6 million per year. The length of the contract offers were not specified, but NBC's offer was "competitive" with that figure, according to a report from Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

"I'm part of the team now, a new team," Brees said in an interview on the Today Show this week. "I'm excited about that journey. I'm excited to stay very closely connected with the game of football, it's been such an important part of my life."

WHERE WILL BREES START?

There haven't been any plans announced for a Brees slide into NBC's Sunday Night Football booth coverage just yet, with longtime host Cris Collinsworth likely to remain alongside Al Michaels in that seat for 2021.

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) December 10, 2018

...

Brees is expected to fill a role as a studio analyst for SNF coverage next season, and his workweek will extend to Saturdays as an analyst for NBC's coverage of Notre Dame football.

Brees played collegiately about 2 hours away from Notre Dame at Purdue University. The Boilermakers and Fighting Irish are scheduled to face off this upcoming season for the first time since 2014.

"We know that Drew will apply the same work ethic and continuously positive attitude to everything he touches at NBC Sports," said NBC Sports Group chairman Pete Bevacqua in a statement, "and we know, as his new teammates, he'll make us better."

NBC hasn't specified long-term plans for its SNF booth crew or Brees' role, but other networks have gone to three-man operations when incorporating new faces -- most notably ESPN.

Since longtime color commentator Jon Gruden, now head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, departed ESPN following the 2017 season, Monday Night Football has featured a revolving door of hosts and analysts. The changes began in 2018 with now-unretired tight end Jason Witten in the analyst role alongside Joe Tessitore, who took the place of Mike Tirico on play-by-play.

Booger McFarland joined as a sideline analyst, notably roving the perimeter of the field in what became known as the "Boogermobile." When Witten returned to the Dallas Cowboys roster the following season, McFarland went up into the booth.

This past season Monday Night Football turned over its crew completely, opting for Steve Levy on play-by-play alongside former NFL players Brian Griese and Louis Riddick.

HOW WOULD BREES' DEAL STACK UP?

Saints news in your inbox

If NBC's offer is indeed in the range of $6 million per year, Brees would already rank near the top end of broadcast analyst pay before even stepping into a booth.

Romo's initial deal with CBS to replace longtime color commentator Phil Simms was a 3-year deal that averaged just over $3.3 million per season. The former Cowboys quarterback became far and away the highest paid in his field last March when he agreed to his new deal with CBS, averaging north of $17 million per year.

That deal came after a failed attempt to pull former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning into the broadcast booth, and with ESPN poised to offer a deal to Romo valued in the range of $140 million.

Yes, it's true: Drew Brees' career has ended. So, what now? Join today's live chat as NOLA.com Saints reporters and others catch up on the latest coverage and headlines after the legendary QB's retirement decision, and share your questions, memories, hot takes and more in the comments!

Romo's energy and insight -- often calling the outcome of plays before they happen -- helped drive his rise as a fan-favorite on Sundays. But the known salaries for his peers drop quickly behind him.

New Orleans Saints would host Dallas in NFC wild-card round if season ended today, and other links — Former Saints QB Drew Brees and former Cowboys QB Tony Romo meet after a game at AT&T Stadium in 2014.
Michael DeMocker/file

Troy Aikman, the longtime color commentator for FOX, was reportedly earning in the range of $7.5 million per year alongside Joe Buck. Collinsworth's salary on the Sunday Night Football broadcast has been reported to be in the range of $4 million.

Witten was reportedly offered a multi-year deal worth as much as $4.5 million annually after his lone year on the MNF crew, while Gruden's salary was reported at $6 million before his departure.

Some secondary hosts, such as CBS' Rich Gannon, Jay Feely, James Lofton and Adam Archuleta, had salaries reported anywhere from $59,000 to $955,000.

ARE TIMES A CHANGING?

Should Brees eventually take Collinsworth's chair in the SNF booth, it'd leave Aikman standing as the lone longtime color commentator on any of the major networks broadcasting NFL games each week.

BROADCAST ANALYSTS SINCE 2010

FOX

2020: Troy Aikman; Daryl Johnson; Mark Schlereth; Jonathan Vilma; Brock Huard; Greg Jennings
Previous: Charles Davis; Ronde Barber; Chris Spielman; Greg Olsen; Tiki Barber; John Lynch; Matt Millen; David Diehl; Brady Quinn; Mike Eruzione; Kirk Morrison; Matt Hasselbeck; Brian Billick; Tim Ryan; Heath Evans; Mike Martz; Jim Mora; Chad Pennington; Kurt Warner; Ross Tucker

CBS

2020: Tony Romo; Adam Archuleta; Charles Davis; Trent Green; James Lofton; Jay Feely
Previous: Phil Simms; Rich Gannon; Trent Green; Dan Fouts; Steve Tasker; Solomon Wilcots; Chris Simms; Steve Beurlein; Dan Dierdorf; Randy Cross

NBC/SNF

2020 (including playoffs): Cris Collinsworth; Tony Dungy
Previous (including playoffs): Rodney Harrison; Kurt Warner; Doug Flutie; Mike Mayock

ESPN

2020: Brian Griese; Louis Riddick
Previous: Booger McFarland; Jason Witten; Jon Gruden; Ron Jaworski

Collinsworth has sat across from Michaels since the 2008 season, while Aikman has led the FOX analyst crew alongside Joe Buck since 2002. Gruden represented nine years of stability on Monday Night Football from 2009-'17 before the shuffling of the past few years.

But the shift to Romo in 2017 marked the biggest change of all, with Simms moving into a studio role after 19 years in the CBS booth dating back to 1998. Simms' final 13 seasons in that role came alongside Jim Nantz, who remains the play-by-play announcer on CBS alongside Romo.

Shopping

Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission