New Orleans Saints Drew Brees becomes NFL's all time passing leader on Monday

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees became the NFL's all-time passing yards leader in style Monday night.

A 62-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith against the visiting Washington Redskins allowed Brees to pass Peyton Manning for the record.

The pass gave Brees 71,968 passing yards for his career, including 228 on Monday. He was 13 of 15 with two touchdown passes when he broke the record with 2:36 left in the first half, giving New Orleans a 26-6 lead.

Teammates mobbed Brees at midfield, and he took his helmet off to salute the crowd while taking the game ball to the sideline.

He then greeted his family and got a hug from coach Sean Payton.

ESPN's microphones captured him telling his sons, "You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it."

Manning, via the Denver Broncos' Twitter account, sent a humorous message to Brees.

"Drew, for a thousand days, I've held the record for all-time passing yards in the NFL," Manning said in the video while at a kitchen cutting board. "And I gotta tell you, it's been the greatest thousand days of my life. And thanks to you, that's over now. You've ruined that for me. So thank you very much. I have nothing left to look forward to except slicing my tomatoes, making dinner for my family, putting together this wedge salad.

"Also, let this serve as congratulations for (when you break) the touchdowns record because as you can see I'm very busy, I don't have time to keep doing these videos for you, congratulating you.

"But, in all seriousness, Drew, congratulations on this record. You've done it the right way. All your hard work and dedication have paid off. ... Way to go. Proud of you. Good luck the rest of the way."

After the game, Brees got emotional during an on-field interview with ESPN, citing the influence of his late mother and late grandfather. He added of the record, "I'll be able to reflect on it may be a little bit more when my career is done. I still feel like there's work to be done. But just really proud and very grateful.

"I love playing the game. I didn't set out on this journey to break these records. I just play because I love the game and I love to compete and I love being part of this organization."

Brees, 39, is in his 18th NFL season. He played five years for the then-San Diego Chargers, who made him a second-round pick in the 2001 draft. Brees signed a free agent deal with the Saints in March 2006.

The 11-time Pro Bowl performer was twice the AP Offensive Player of the Year, in 2008 and 2011. He guided New Orleans to a Super Bowl title after the 2009 season.

(With inputs from agencies.)