Aaron Brooks (American football) facts for kids
Brooks with the New Orleans Saints in 2005
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 24, 1976 Newport News, Virginia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Ferguson (Newport News) | ||||||||
| College: | Virginia (1994–1998) | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1999 / Round: 4 / Pick: 131 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Aaron Lafette Brooks, born on March 24, 1976, is a former American football player. He was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played mostly for the New Orleans Saints. Brooks set team records for touchdown passes during his six years with the Saints. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and the Oakland Raiders. His best season was in 2000. He led the Saints to their first-ever playoff win. In 2014, he joined the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and High School
Aaron grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He lived in the East End area. Coach Tommy Reamon helped guide him. Aaron played high school football at Homer L. Ferguson High School. After high school, he earned a scholarship. He went on to attend the University of Virginia. He graduated from college in 1999.
College Football Career
Aaron Brooks started at the University of Virginia in 1994. He was a "redshirt" his first year. This means he practiced but did not play in games. In 1995, he was a backup quarterback.
Playing for the Cavaliers
In 1996, Aaron competed to be the starting quarterback. He shared playing time with another player. The team had strong defensive players. They also had a great running back, Tiki Barber. Fans still talk about the quarterback play that season.
Aaron became the main starter in 1997. The team struggled early but finished strong. They ended the season with a 7–4 record. In 1998, the team started very well. They were even ranked among the top ten teams.
Big Comeback Win
A highlight of Aaron's college career was in 1998. It was the last game of the season against Virginia Tech. His team was losing badly at halftime, 29–7. But Aaron led the biggest comeback in school history. They won the game 36–32. The Cavaliers finished the regular season 9–2. They were invited to the Peach Bowl but lost to Georgia.
College Statistics
| Virginia Cavaliers | ||||||||||||||
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| Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
| Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | TD | ||||||
| 1995 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -100.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1996 | 37 | 89 | 517 | 1 | 7 | 78.3 | 30 | 65 | 4 | |||||
| 1997 | 164 | 270 | 2,282 | 20 | 7 | 151.0 | 85 | 255 | 5 | |||||
| 1998 | 168 | 322 | 2,545 | 15 | 10 | 127.7 | 97 | 320 | 6 | |||||
| Total | 369 | 683 | 5,344 | 36 | 25 | 129.8 | 212 | 640 | 14 | |||||
Professional Football Career
Aaron Brooks was chosen by the Green Bay Packers in the 1999 NFL Draft. He was picked in the fourth round.
Green Bay Packers
In 1999, Aaron started his NFL career. He was the third-string quarterback for the Packers. This meant he was behind Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck. He did not play in any regular season games that year.
New Orleans Saints
Before the 2000 season, the Packers traded Aaron to the New Orleans Saints. He became the starting quarterback after Jeff Blake got hurt. In his first NFL start, Aaron led the Saints to a big win. They beat the St. Louis Rams, who were the Super Bowl champions. This was a historic win for him.
First Playoff Win
Aaron led the Saints to a 10–6 record in 2000. They won their division, the NFC West. In the playoffs, the Saints played the Rams again. Aaron threw four touchdown passes. He led the Saints to their first-ever playoff victory, 31–28. This made him the first quarterback to beat the defending Super Bowl champions in his first playoff start. The Saints then lost their next playoff game to the Minnesota Vikings.
Later Seasons with Saints
In 2001, Aaron had a good season for passing yards. He threw for 3,832 yards. He also tied a team record with 26 touchdowns. However, he also threw 22 interceptions. The Saints finished with a 7–9 record.
In 2002, the Saints started strong with a 6–2 record. Their offense scored many points. But the team struggled in the second half of the season. They finished 9–7 and missed the playoffs.
The 2003 season was Aaron's most efficient. He had a career-best passer rating of 88.8. He threw 24 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Still, the Saints finished 8–8 and did not make the playoffs.
In 2004, the Saints almost made the playoffs. They finished the season with four straight wins. Aaron threw 16 interceptions that year. This was twice as many as the year before.
In 2005, Aaron had a tough year. He threw 17 interceptions and 13 touchdowns. The Saints decided to bench him for the last three games.
Oakland Raiders
After leaving the Saints, Aaron signed with the Oakland Raiders in 2006. He started as their quarterback. In his first game, he was sacked nine times. He dislocated his shoulder in his second game. This made him miss several weeks.
When he returned, the Raiders continued to struggle. They finished the season with a 2–14 record. Aaron was released by the Raiders after the 2006 season.
NFL Career Statistics
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacks | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Sck | SckY | Fum | Lost | ||||
| 1999 | GB | 0 | 0 | – | DNP | |||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | NO | 8 | 5 | 3–2 | 113 | 194 | 58.2 | 1,514 | 7.8 | 9 | 6 | 85.7 | 41 | 170 | 4.1 | 2 | 15 | 94 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 2001 | NO | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 312 | 558 | 55.9 | 3,832 | 6.9 | 26 | 22 | 76.4 | 80 | 358 | 4.5 | 1 | 50 | 330 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2002 | NO | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 283 | 528 | 53.6 | 3,572 | 6.8 | 27 | 15 | 80.1 | 62 | 253 | 4.1 | 2 | 36 | 236 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 2003 | NO | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 306 | 518 | 59.1 | 3,546 | 6.8 | 24 | 8 | 88.8 | 54 | 175 | 3.2 | 2 | 34 | 195 | 14 | 11 | ||
| 2004 | NO | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 309 | 542 | 57.0 | 3,810 | 7.0 | 21 | 16 | 79.5 | 58 | 173 | 3.0 | 4 | 41 | 223 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2005 | NO | 13 | 13 | 3–10 | 240 | 431 | 55.7 | 2,882 | 6.7 | 13 | 17 | 70.0 | 45 | 281 | 6.2 | 2 | 33 | 202 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2006 | OAK | 8 | 8 | 0–8 | 110 | 192 | 57.3 | 1,105 | 5.8 | 3 | 8 | 61.7 | 22 | 124 | 5.6 | 0 | 26 | 174 | 5 | 3 | ||
| Total | 93 | 90 | 38–52 | 1,673 | 2,963 | 56.5 | 20,261 | 6.8 | 123 | 92 | 78.5 | 362 | 1,534 | 4.2 | 13 | 235 | 1,454 | 64 | 26 | |||
After Football
After retiring from football in 2007, Aaron Brooks started a new career. He decided to work in property development.
Building New Communities
In 2008, he began his first project. It was a neighborhood called Burlington Woods. This project was built on 17 acres in Virginia. Aaron managed the project until it was finished.
He also announced plans to invest in his hometown. This was a project called Southeast Commerce Center. It aimed to redevelop part of downtown Newport News. Aaron wanted to build new homes and stores. He hoped to make the area better for the people living there. This project, now called Brooks Crossing, is still ongoing in 2024.
Hall of Fame Induction
In 2014, Aaron Brooks was honored. He was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame. His former teammate, John Carney, also joined him.
Personal Life
Aaron Brooks is related to other football players. He is the second cousin of Michael Vick and Marcus Vick.
See Also
- List of most consecutive starts by an NFL quarterback
