Former San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will officially be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, as a member of the class of 2026 on August 8. Sean Payton, former Saint and Brees’ longtime head coach in the Crescent City, was recently announced as the presenter for No. 9 at the enshrinement ceremony.
Although Brees and Payton had
their own backgrounds in the NFL before joining forces in New Orleans in 2006, the QB-HC combo cemented their professional legacies within the Superdome at the heart of the Big Easy, delivering a rebirth to Saints football and aiding in the rebuild of a then-broken city.
Following a 3-13 season and a 2005 campaign that saw zero home games played inside of New Orleans following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city and team required a refresh and found just what Louisiana needed in a first-year head coach and a young gunslinger coming off of a brutal shoulder injury. These guys would grow, progress, and build what would become one of the most prolific offenses in modern league history.
The partnership between Brees and Payton quickly sparked a fire for the black and gold while providing a sense of hope for those still suffering from the tragic natural disaster just a year removed. In the pairing’s inaugural season in New Orleans, the Saints finished with an 11-5 overall record and made a run to the NFC Conference Championship game. Although the team would ultimately fall short of reaching the ultimate goal of playing in and winning the city’s first Super Bowl, this season was simply a foreshadowing of greater things to come.
New Orleans would go on to miss the postseason in both 2007 and 2008 before a magical year in which pigs learned to fly.
Brees and Payton’s offensive prowess, in addition to a multitude of weapons on both sides of the football, allowed the Saints to simply dominate opponents during the 2009 regular season. Averaging nearly 40 points a game, New Orleans would end the year 13-3, not losing until the final three weeks of the year. Victories against the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings would lead the Saints to Miami for a chance at a title. The AFC representative? A 14-2 Indianapolis Colts team led by QB Peyton Manning.
Everyone remembers the iconic plays; everybody knows about the final result, but what many look over is just how immediate the impact Drew Brees and Sean Payton had on the New Orleans Saints and the Big Easy came to be. In less than five years, the two brought a franchise from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the world following a 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV win.
Although Brees and Payton never managed to bring New Orleans back to the big game, their record-shattering, game-changing, everlasting effect on the sport continued for over a decade together. The two had more than 150 regular-season victories, six division titles, three conference championship appearances, and a SB ring for the cherry on top.
Drew carried a chip on his shoulder in the way he played the game, leading to his first-ballot gold jacket. He finished his career with over 80,000 passing yards, 571 touchdowns, and an absurd completion rate of 67.7%. Brees was also selected for 13 Pro Bowls, named as an AP first-team All-Pro, a two-time Offensive Player of the Year award winner, and MVP of Super Bowl XLIV.
Although times have changed, with Payton now at the helm of the Denver Broncos and Brees retired and enjoying time with his wife and kids, the professional success and legendary status for both started with a losing team in a city that did not have much to offer. Now, after giving everything they possibly could and then some, Payton will give Brees his flowers in what is sure to be a moving, emotional presentation for fans everywhere. I’m sure Drew is already looking forward to being in attendance when Sean has his name called in the near future.
