2001 Drew Brees Rookie Era Game Used San Diego Chargers Helmet Photo Matched To 3 Games Including 1st Career Touchdown Game (Resolution Photomatching)

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 12/8/2019

The future Hall of Famer Drew Brees wore this blue San Diego Chargers helmet during his rookie season with the team that drafted him 32nd overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. Brees spent his first NFL season as the understudy to crafty veteran Doug Flutie, appearing in one early November game against the Kansas City Chiefs and is now the NFL's all-time leader in passing yards. Brees showcased some of the skill that would make him one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history, passing for 221 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions in his first exposure to an NFL defense. Brees earned the starting nod for the Chargers in his second season, passing for 3,284 yards and 17 touchdowns as the Chargers went from 5-11 his rookie season to 8-8 in his sophomore campaign.

Brees played for the Chargers until 2006, when the New Orleans Saints took a flyer on the former Purdue Boilermaker coming off a possibly career-altering shoulder injury. It was with the Saints that Brees became one of the NFL’s most dangerous passers, racking up a NFL-best 4,418 yards in his first season with New Orleans. At the beginning of the 2018 NFL season, Brees sat in third place in the NFL all-time passing yards charts, with Peyton Manning less than 1,000 yards ahead in first place.

This offered helmet was worn by Drew Brees during his rookie season. This helmet has been photo matched to two games of the 2001 season – the October 28th game and the November 4th contest. The November 4th game at Kansas City is when Brees made his first appearance in the NFL and threw his first career touchdown. This helmet is navy, with the Chargers white, navy, and yellow lightning bolt logo applied to each side of the helmet. The facemask is navy with a Riddell forehead bumper. The chinstrap is still attached to the helmet, and Brees’ number “9” is applied to the upper strap. The back bumper on this helmet reads “Chargers”, while a NFL logo decal, number “9” decal, and an American flag decal are applied to the back of the helmet. The interior padding of this helmet remains intact. This jersey has been photo matched by Resolution Photomatching to the October 28th and November 4th, 2001 games. There is an additional LOA from RGU that photo matches this helmet to the August 25th, 2001 game.