HomeCelebListsSteve Gleason vs Drew Brees: Height, Weight, and Body Stats Compared

Steve Gleason vs Drew Brees: Height, Weight, and Body Stats Compared

Steve Gleason vs Drew Brees: How Do They Compare?

They shared a locker room for exactly one season — 2006 — and that one season turned into a lifelong partnership. Steve Gleason was the undersized special teams safety who blocked the punt that reopened the Superdome. Drew Brees was the free-agent quarterback nobody else wanted after shoulder surgery. Both men became permanent fixtures of New Orleans sports history that fall, and when Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in January 2011, Brees became one of the loudest voices pushing Team Gleason into the national conversation.

Fans searching for Gleason’s measurables usually want two things: what he weighed as an NFL player, and how much his body has changed since the diagnosis. Brees makes a useful benchmark — similar frame, similar era, wildly different career arc.

Image: United States Senate – Office of Lisa Murkowski / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Gleason was listed at 5 ft 11 in and 212 lbs during his Saints years. For a safety that’s fine. For a guy who also lined up as a linebacker at Washington State, it’s small. He went undrafted in 2000, bounced through Indianapolis, and carved out a seven-year NFL career almost entirely on special teams — four blocked punts, a ton of coverage tackles, and a motor that didn’t quit.

Image: Collision Conf from Las Vegas, Nevada, USA / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Brees was listed at 6 ft 0 in and 209 lbs — generously listed, by most accounts, which is part of why he slid to the second round in 2001 despite a monster Purdue résumé. He spent 20 seasons proving the measuring tape wrong.

Side-by-Side Stats

Stat	Steve Gleason	Drew Brees
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Playing Weight	212 lbs (96 kg)	209 lbs (95 kg)
Age	48	46
Date of Birth	March 19, 1977	January 15, 1979
Build	Compact, muscular (playing days)	Thick-legged, athletic
Eye Color	Blue	Brown
Hair Color	Brown	Dark Brown
Net Worth	Not publicly verified	Approx. $160 million

Height Comparison

One inch. That’s the whole gap. Standing next to each other in street clothes, Brees edges Gleason slightly, but you’d have to look twice to notice. In old Saints team photos from 2006 they essentially read as the same size — two guys in a sport full of 6’5″ tight ends and 330-pound linemen.

Both land right around the American male average of about 5 ft 9 in, with Brees an inch or two over and Gleason an inch or two over as well. Which is the point: neither man was built like an NFL prototype. Brees was told repeatedly he was too short to play quarterback at the highest level. Gleason was told he was too small to play linebacker, then too small to stick at safety. They both answered the same way — by outworking people.

Career Comparison

Gleason’s NFL career spanned 2000 to 2006, all but a brief Colts stint with New Orleans. His signature moment came on September 25, 2006, when the Superdome reopened after Hurricane Katrina. Gleason blocked Michael Koenen’s punt in the first quarter against Atlanta, Curtis Deloatch recovered it in the end zone, and the building detonated. That play is now a bronze statue outside the stadium, titled Rebirth.

He retired after that season. In January 2011, at 33, he was diagnosed with ALS. He founded Team Gleason, which funds technology and equipment for people living with the disease, and the 2016 documentary Gleason put his story in front of a mass audience. The Steve Gleason Act of 2015 preserved Medicare coverage for speech-generating devices. In January 2020, he received the Congressional Gold Medal — the first NFL player ever to get one.

Brees played 20 seasons, five in San Diego and 15 in New Orleans. He won Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010 and was named MVP of that game. He finished with 80,358 passing yards, 571 touchdown passes and 7,142 completions, holding the all-time yardage record until Tom Brady passed him. Thirteen Pro Bowls. He retired in March 2021.

Fitness and Body Approach

Brees spent most of his career training with Todd Durkin at Fitness Quest 10 in San Diego, and the work was famously unglamorous — rotational core drills, med ball throws, resistance band work, sled pushes, and a lot of attention to shoulder stability after his labrum reconstruction in 2006. He held his weight near 209 lbs for most of two decades and leaned heavily on mobility work, massage and yoga-style flexibility sessions to survive a 20-year career at a position that gets hit for a living.

Gleason’s approach during his playing days was pure special teams brutality — he had to be strong enough to shed blocks from guys 60 pounds heavier and fast enough to cover kicks. Heavy lifting, sprint work, and the kind of weight-room numbers that made coaches overlook his frame.

ALS changed everything. The disease attacks motor neurons, which means progressive muscle atrophy, and Gleason lost the ability to move and speak over the years following his diagnosis. He uses a power wheelchair, a feeding tube for nutrition, and eye-tracking technology to communicate and write. His body composition today bears no resemblance to his 212-pound playing weight, and he’s been open about that reality rather than hiding it. He has continued to travel, co-produce advocacy work and appear publicly — including at the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony in 2020.

Key Differences

Brees is one inch taller; their playing weights were within three pounds of each other.
Brees played 20 NFL seasons as a starting quarterback. Gleason played seven, almost entirely on special teams.
Brees’ net worth is widely reported near $160 million. Gleason’s finances aren’t publicly documented.
Brees holds a Super Bowl ring and Super Bowl MVP. Gleason holds a Congressional Gold Medal.
Gleason’s body has been reshaped by ALS since 2011; Brees has maintained about his playing weight into retirement.
Gleason is two years older, born March 1977 versus Brees’ January 1979.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is taller, Steve Gleason or Drew Brees?

Drew Brees is taller, listed at 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) compared to Steve Gleason’s 5 ft 11 in (180 cm).

What is the height difference between Steve Gleason and Drew Brees?

The gap is just one inch (about 3 cm). In 2006 Saints team photos the two essentially read as the same size.

Who is older, Steve Gleason or Drew Brees?

Steve Gleason is older. He was born March 19, 1977 (age 48), while Drew Brees was born January 15, 1979 (age 46) — roughly a 22-month gap.

Who weighed more during their playing career?

Steve Gleason weighed slightly more, listed at 212 lbs (96 kg) as a Saints safety versus Drew Brees at 209 lbs (95 kg).

Who is richer, Steve Gleason or Drew Brees?

Drew Brees is far wealthier, with an estimated net worth of about $160 million after 20 NFL seasons. Steve Gleason’s net worth is not publicly verified.