Green Bay Packers The
Green Bay Packers selected Brunell in the fifth round (118th overall) of the
1993 NFL draft. Brunell was the fourth quarterback drafted in 1993 and was the second quarterback drafted from Washington after
Billy Joe Hobert was selected in the third round (58th overall) by the
Los Angeles Raiders. This became only the second time two quarterbacks were drafted from the same school in the same draft. It was speculated that Brunell's fall to the fifth round was due to fears that he might not be able to adapt to the pro game. Brunell finished the game completing 11 of 24 pass attempts for 79 passing yards and was held without a touchdown pass or interception. Brunell became a
restricted free agent after the
1994 NFL season and received a contract offer from the
Philadelphia Eagles, who had just hired former Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator
Ray Rhodes as their new head coach. Rhodes hired former Green Bay Packers’ wide receivers coach
Jon Gruden to be the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive coordinator and worked out a trade to acquire Brunell. Brunell was reluctant to accept the five-year contract offer from the Philadelphia Eagles as he did not want to spend his twenties as a backup quarterback behind
Randall Cunningham. The Packers and Eagles agreed on the terms of a trade, but were unable to finalize the deal after Brunell declined to sign a long-term deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jacksonville Jaguars On 21 April 1995, in the first trade in the history of the new
Jacksonville Jaguars, the franchise traded third (66th overall) and fifth round (170th overall) picks in the
1995 NFL draft to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for Brunell. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed Brunell to a three-year contract. As a starter since their inaugural season, Brunell left the team holding all of the
Jacksonville Jaguars passing records and as of 2026, still holds many of them. In December 2013, Brunell was inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars, the team's Hall of Fame equivalent.
Washington Redskins He was traded to the
Washington Redskins prior to the
2004 season. During the 2004 season, limited by a hamstring injury, Brunell struggled and would be benched midseason for backup quarterback
Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey's play towards the end of that season and following pre-season would lead to a quarterback controversy where Brunell would be benched going into the 2005 season. This would change in 2005 after Ramsey suffered an early season injury that thrust Brunell back into the starter's role. In 2005, Brunell played much better and led the team to a 10–6 record and a playoff victory over the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He finished third in the 2005
NFL Comeback Player of the Year awards. Brunell's most prolific moment in the 2005 season was during Week 2, when he completed two long passes to wide receiver
Santana Moss for two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to defeat the
Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, 14–13. On September 24, 2006, Brunell broke the NFL record for most consecutive completions in single game when he completed his first 22 passes against the
Houston Texans. Brunell also set the
Redskins franchise record for highest completion percentage in a single game (88.9%). The previous record was held by
Hall of Fame quarterback
Sammy Baugh for 66 years (87.5%). On November 13, 2006, after winning only three of their first nine games of 2006, Brunell was benched in favor of
Jason Campbell, Washington's 2005 first round draft pick. He served as the Redskins third-string quarterback in 2007 and did not appear in a game.
New Orleans Saints On March 13, 2008, Brunell was signed by the
New Orleans Saints. As the Saints have not issued number 8 since
Archie Manning retired, Brunell changed his jersey number to 11, the only time in his career he would wear a jersey number besides his customary number 8. (#9), Brunell (next to
Chase Daniel (#10)) won his first Super Bowl title after the 2009 season with the
New Orleans Saints He entered the 2008 season as the backup to
Drew Brees, appearing in just two games. In 2009, he appeared in all 16 games as the holder on the Saints place-kicking unit, and saw his first playing time at quarterback in three years during a week 17 loss to the
Carolina Panthers, as the Saints had already clinched homefield advantage and rested starter
Drew Brees, as well as many other starters. Although he played little for the Saints, he was noted for his role as a veteran advisor to the Saints' starting quarterback,
Drew Brees. During the Saints playoff run on January 24, 2010, Brunell was the holder on the 40-yard field goal kicked by
Garrett Hartley in overtime against the Minnesota Vikings in the
NFC Championship Game to send the New Orleans Saints to the team's first ever Super Bowl. On February 7, 2010, for the Super Bowl, Brunell served as the backup QB behind Drew Brees, and the holder for Garrett Hartley. Brunell and Hartley's role as the kicking unit helped the Saints convert some critical kicks, going 3 for 3 on three long field goals (46 yards, 44 yards, 47 yards), and an extra point, to score a total of 10 points in the first three quarters, helping keep the score close going into the fourth quarter, with the Saints down by only one point (16–17). The Colts would never score again, as the momentum shifted the Saints way. Brunell earned his first and only Super Bowl ring with the New Orleans Saints when the team won its first franchise championship by defeating the
Indianapolis Colts 31–17 in
Super Bowl XLIV.
New York Jets Brunell was a free agent after the 2009 season, and did not re-sign with the Saints. On July 28, 2010, he signed a two-year deal to play for the
New York Jets. In the last regular game of the 2010 season, while filling in for starting quarterback
Mark Sanchez, Brunell threw his first scoring pass since 2006, a 17-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 15 seconds left in the opening half. He then went on to throw a second scoring pass for 52 yards to Braylon Edwards in the second half. Brunell sat on the bench as the Jets made it to the AFC Championship but eventually lost to the Steelers 24–19. After one season with the Jets, he was released on July 29, 2011. He was re-signed two days later at a reduced salary. In April 2012, Brunell stated that he would like to play another season if the opportunity presented itself, contradicting a report from the
Florida Times-Union that he was ready to retire.
Legacy When
Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell, who played quarterback for the team after Brunell, was asked what player he learned the most from in his career, Campbell said it was Mark Brunell. Campbell said "a nice tribute about how the man he replaced helped him become a better person off the field." In 2012, Football Nation ranked Brunell the twenty-ninth best quarterback of the post-merger era. ==Career statistics==