Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has had a busy but incredible start to 2026. He was recently elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and made a guest appearance on the New Heights Podcast hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce Then last Sunday, he and his wife, Brittany spent the day in New Orleans riding in Bacchus, and this week, Drew is in Orlando, FL, for the 2026 Youth Flag Football Championships.
On Thursday, I had the opportunity to speak with Drew about the upcoming Flag Football
games, his incredible NFL career, advice to young athletes and what could be next for the Hall of Famer.
TH: You co-founded FNA in 2017, partnered with Unrivaled Sports last year and are in Orlando this week for the 2026 Youth Flag Football Championships. Tell us a little about the games and what do you hope the partnership with Unrivaled can bring the league in the future?
DB: So, if you recall we started FNA back in 2017, with the goal of setting the gold standard for flag football in the U.S. All of our kids were starting to play, and I was coaching it. You know I played it a bunch when I was a kid as well, and so I was coming at it from a lot of different angles. And so, we started it with our first few leagues in Louisiana and then expanded it to California and a bunch of other states. Then just this past year partnered with Unrivaled to continue to grow the sport of flag football, both domestically internationally and build the most exceptional flag football experiences we could through leagues, tournaments and events. And so, this just happens to be one of them here in Orlando, at Disney Wide World of Sports. We’ve got 1000 teams here for the World Flag Football Championships. Over 10,000 kids, which is absolutely awesome. I just spent a few hours walking around watching boys and girls play all the way from age 5 to 18, and they’re just having the time of their life out there. It’s competitive, and yet it is so much fun. Tons of smiling faces, great sportsmanship, great camaraderie and that’s what it’s all about. This is something they look forward to each and every year, not just as a great experience for themselves and their own growth and development within the sport but also to see how they match up against teams from around the country and around the world. There are 6 countries represented here this week as well that are all participating.
TH: Flag Football is definitely a growing sport, which has expanded all over the country and will make its debut at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Could you see the league one day expand to children with disabilities or be a part of the Special Olympics?
DB:Yeah, I think all these things are on the table. Honestly, with the partnership, the idea is to continue to grow the game of flag football, both domestically and internationally, and just build the greatest experiences that we possibly can for both the kids, families, and communities in which we’re able to do these events, both at the league level and at the tournament level, and in just doing some really special events in and around it. Just like when you talk about some of the biggest tournaments in the country, you know, this is the biggest, the World Flag Football Championships. But you’ve got the Junior Olympics, you got AAU, so there’s quite a few that really represent and I think of just where the sport of flag football is going and the amount of participation that you’re seeing. You know, more and more kids are playing it. I really see flag football as the gateway sport to every other sport. We’ve got 5U here right now, we’ve got 25U teams, so you’ve got kids that are literally starting in pre-k, and the skill sets that you learn from playing flag football, hand-eye coordination, and good athletic position and spatial awareness. You know, everybody’s a skilled player in flag football, which makes it so much fun. You throw, you catch, you run with the ball, and you play defense. So, it’s really a sport that can help you develop skill sets that carry over to every other sport. So, whether it’s your main sport or whether it’s just a complementary sport, it’s something that everybody can have fun playing, both boys and girls.
TH: You came to New Orleans at a time when not only were you healing but the city was also healing after Katrina. Was there a particular moment when you knew you were building something special here with the Saints?
DB: Going back to ‘06. Of course, the opening of the dome on September 25th, 2006, was a moment that I don’t think any of us are ever going to forget. The Steve Gleason block punt. I think the fact that, you know everybody in the country was watching. Not knowing where New Orleans was or stood after post-Katrina, and I think that let everybody know that not only were we going to come back, but we were going to come back stronger than ever. We had such a strong heartbeat here with our fanbase and with the community, and so when obviously that the magical run continued, as we made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game that year, that really set the stage for a lot of what we were able to accomplish after that.
TH: During the NFLN special “The Hall of Fame Knocks,” you mentioned that you didn’t feel like you had truly perfected your skillset until year 15, which was after numerous playoff appearances and winning the Super Bowl. Was that because of any changes over the years in your routine or training process, or did you just feel that you hadn’t reached the top of your game yet?
DB: I think it’s a growth mindset that you always have something to prove, you always have something to improve upon, and that you have never arrived. So, every offseason, I was always trying to hone my craft, always trying to evaluate every aspect of my process and my routine where I could tinker with it to make it better as I got older. As I got older, there was more of a premium on recovery and the recovery as a mechanism to maximize my training. I became hyper in tune with my body and my mechanics, so I was always trying to just eliminate any room for error, and that was where my mindset was every offseason and going into every season. I was just hyper-focused and hyper-analytical on just what I needed to do and perform at the highest level every Sunday. It was stressful, it was hard, you know, you had to make sacrifices, but at the same time what made it fun was literally every time we stepped on the field for the last 4 or 5 years of my career, we were breaking a record, or we were chasing something. Which made it a lot of fun and the guys that all had a chance to be a part of that it gives you a little something extra.
TH: You were such a leader on the field and have incredible vision and knowledge of the game, could you see yourself coaching in the NFL one day?
DD: I mean, I don’t know. I wouldn’t rule anything but right now, next year, next fall, my boys will be a senior, sophomore and freshman. My daughter will be in 7th grade. All of my boys are playing high school ball so it’s the greatest being able to watch them play the game and really work towards it and accomplish great things as a far as the teams they are on. I have the chance to coach them, which is the best. So that along with broadcasting, definitely takes up all my time in the fall. You know, there may be a time but here’s the thing, I’m very in tune with the NFL games, I watch a ton of tape. Obviously, I’m talking with coaches and players every week with whatever game is that I’m broadcasting, So I am definitely staying very much at the forefront of everything that is happening in the NFL.
TH: As a former NFL player, you have achieved the highest honor of being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame so what words of encouragement and motivation would you give to young athletes, who have seen your accomplishments and aspire to be like you one day.
DD: First off, one of the best pieces of advice I ever got was focus on the process and the result takes care of itself. You know, we are in a result driven business when you talk about the NFL and really that’s for any industry for that matter. But it’s the focusing on the process, like the daily routine. The habits are where you are really able to refine your skills. Identify the role that you can best play to help your team succeed. You really begin to enjoy the personal relationships and interactions that you have with your teammates and your coaches. It kind of gives you little measurable things each and every day that you can focus on and by doing that, you put yourself in the position to go be successful on game day. But you’re not results driven, you’re process driven and you know, that’s how you evaluate yourself. That’s how you stay, super focused and I think that’s how you see the best results.
Thank you again to Drew for taking the time to chat with me. Congratulations again on all your accomplishments and Hall of Fame induction. You can check out Drew and the 2026 Youth Flag Football Division 1 Championship games on Saturday, February 21 and Sunday, February 22, 2026, streaming live on ESPN+.
