Bailey was drafted out of the University of Georgia by the Washington Redskins with the 7th pick in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft. Prior to the 2004 season, he was traded to the Broncos along with a second-round draft pick (Tatum Bell) for Clinton Portis. Bailey has been named to six consecutive Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro's. Over the past few years, Bailey has proven to be more beneficial for the Broncos than Clinton Portis for the Redskins, thus the broncos "won" that blockbuster trade.

On January 14, 2006 in a divisional playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos, Bailey broke the record for the longest non-scoring interception return in the playoffs; With the Patriots poised to score, Bailey intercepted a pass from Tom Brady in the endzone and returned it 100 yards to the New England 1 yardline before being hit by Patriots Tight End Ben Watson and fumbling the ball out of bounds. The play was considered the most crucial of the contest which the Broncos would go on to win, hence ending the Patriot's quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl title.

During his college career, Champ Bailey also played on offense playing the position of Wide Receiver. He has recently played Wide Receiver in the 2005 Pro Bowl, trading positions with wide receiver Chad Johnson. During the Pro Bowl, he was given a chance to be a hero when Steve McNair, Quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, threw a Hail Mary in an attempt to win the game for the AFC team, but the pass was deflected and fell to the ground.

Champ Bailey set a career high in 2005 by intercepting 8 passes (plus 1 more in the postseason), and scoring 2 defensive touchdowns. Pictured to the right, Bailey intercepts San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees and takes it for a touchdown in Week 2 of the 2005 NFL Season (September 18, 2005).

Champ Bailey's drive for success is shown daily. Bailey once told reporter Paul Hawkins, "If I could do anything, it would be to win the Superbowl."