ClutchPoints
While he surely misses the game, New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees still gets to be a quarterback, just on a new team.
The future Pro Football Hall of Famer is one of the leaders of the Verizon Small Business Training Camp, along with Kristin Juszczyk, the wife of San Francisco 49ers star Kyle Juszczyk.
Brees still uses the same approach in the Verizon Small Business Training Camp as he did with the Saints and then-San Diego Chargers before that.
“At the end of the day, leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire and bring out the best in others,” Brees explained. “And so that’s what you’re trying to do as an entrepreneur. A lot of entrepreneurs may start off by themselves, but at some point, you have to build a team. Everybody has their role and function, and all that needs to work collaboratively together. That’s basically what being a quarterback of a team is.”
Additionally, Brees cites “building culture” as another key part of his responsibilities. He strives to create a “work environment where everybody loves to come and work; they love to be challenged.”
He looks for the same competitive fire that he looked for in teammates. Entrepreneurs start their business to fill a need, and the “pursuit is what brings a ton of satisfaction.”
Of course, the question on most people’s minds when talking to a legendary quarterback like Brees is whether or not he misses the game. He left as the NFL’s leader in several passing categories, and he will soon be immortalized in Canton.
However, Brees has found ways to fill that void, including leading the Verizon Small Business Training Camp. He still gets to quarterback a team, but it’s less physically taxing. Plus, he is coaching high school football and doing things with his alma mater, Purdue.
“I’ll be at the Purdue-USC game this weekend [on Saturday, Sept. 13] and the Saints game [on Sunday, Sept. 14], so I still watch and am involved behind the scenes in a lot of different ways,” Brees explained.
If you can believe it, Brees is “busier now” than when he was in the NFL. It keeps his mind off the itch to get back on the gridiron, and he is able to maintain his love for the game.
Brees’ broadcast career began when he signed a deal with NBC Sports in 2020. He spent one season in the booth for Notre Dame football and as a Sunday Night Football contributor, but it didn’t work out. The future Hall of Famer has since learned from that experience and is getting more opportunities to call NFL games.
Pretty soon, he will be announcing for Netflix’s upcoming Christmas Day broadcasts, working with Noah Eagle for a matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions in Minnesota. The NFL returns to Netflix after its successful 2024 Christmas games.
Brees did a great job in 2024, but he’s...
