Drew Brees's Finest rookie is #127, one of forty rookies numbered to 1,000 at the back of a 140-card set. LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Vick and Reggie Wayne are among the others.
He is throwing, arm drawn back, in the Chargers' navy number 9, against a fiery gold background, with the Topps Finest logo and ROOKIE CARD at the top, a Chargers helmet in a circle at the lower corner and DREW BREES, QUARTERBACK across the foot.
A rookie card in gold, five years before New Orleans.
There is no Refractor parallel of the rookie, which makes the numbered card the only version. One guide points out that the gold suits where he ended up.
In 2011, his sixth season in New Orleans, he threw for 5,476 yards, breaking Dan Marino's record of 5,084. On October 8, 2018, he passed Peyton Manning to become the league's career leader in passing yards.
He announced his retirement on March 14, 2021, fifteen years to the day after he signed with the Saints, with 80,358 yards, the most in history at the time.
