The New Orleans Saints made one of the most deserved announcements in team history this week: Drew Brees is headed into the team Hall of Fame.
The Saints QB legend was announced as the lone 2024 inductee on Thursday, eschewing the typical tradition of adding multiple names each year. Saints gameday press box announcer Doug Moreau will also be honored with the Joe Gemelli Fleur de Lis award.
“I’m so grateful for everybody here and always will be," Brees said, wearing a sports jacket over a Team Gleason shirt. "Once a Saint always a Saint."
The announcement was made in front of a crowd of media, team officials, friends and family, and even a few former teammates in current Saints center Erik McCoy, QB Taysom Hill, DE Cam Jordan and TE Josh Hill at the team facility. The scene was set with a documentary about the Saints super bowl title playing prior to Brees entering the room.
He accepted the honor just a few steps away from the Lombardi trophy, a signed helmet and his No. 9 jersey. The official induction will occur prior to a 2024 home game, with an official date yet to be determined.
The news was only surprising in the sense that it was such a quick turnaround from a career that ended in 2020. Brees spent time in the broadcast booth but ultimately stepped away to pursue other interests, which have included opening businesses in South Louisiana, as well as establishing an annual pickleball festival at the New Orleans convention center.
Brees' array of career accolades would be impossible to list fully here, but his greatest achievement in a Saints uniform came in early 2010 when he brought New Orleans its first and only Super Bowl victory. Brees retired as the NFL's all-time passing yardage leader, a mark that was surpassed by Tom Brady, who played 23 seasons compared to Brees' 20.
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NFL records still held by Brees include:
- Most games with 120+ passer rating: 64
- Most games with 130+ passer rating: 42
- Most games with a 150+ passer rating: 3
- Most seasons with a 100+ passer rating: 9
- Most seasons leading NFL in completions: 6 (tied with Dan Marino)
- Most completions per game in a season: 29.4 (2016)
- Most seasons with 400+ completions: 9
- Most consecutive seasons with 400+ completions: 7
- Highest completion % in a single game: 96.67% (2019 vs Colts)
- Highest completion percentage in a season: 74.4% (2018)
- Most games with at least 80% completions: 28
- Most seasons with at least 70% completions: 5
- Most seasons leading NFL in pass yards: 7
- Most seasons with 4500+ passing yards: 8
- Most seasons with 5000+ passing yards: 3
- Most games with 300+ yards passing: 12
- Most games with 350+ yards passing: 63
- Most games with 400+ yards passing: 16
- Most consecutive 350+ yard passing games: 4
- Fewest games to reach 80K passing yards: 286
- First QB ever to reach 80K pass yards
- First QB ever to reach 7K pass completions
- Most seasons with 30+ passing TDs: 10
- Most passing TDs in a game: 7 (tied with 7 others)
- Most games with 5+ passing TDs: 11
- One of four QBs to beat all 32 teams (Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady)
Nominations for the team Hall of Fame come from either the media selection committee or advisory committee that consists of other team Hall of Famers. Players are eligible after they have not been with the Saints for a minimum of three years. The vote for Brees was unanimous, as was the decision to let his induction stand alone.
Brees is the latest of several members of the Super Bowl champion squad to be inducted, including WR Devery Henderson, G Jahri Evans, S Roman Harper, RB Reggie Bush, WR Marques Colston, RB Pierre Thomas, WR Lance Moore, LB Jonathan Vilma, G Carl Nicks, DE Will Smith and RB Deuce McAllister.
The next two questions for Brees will the pro football Hall of Fame, for which you have to be out of the league for a minimum of 5 years, as well as the Saints ring of honor, which currently includes Archie Manning, Morten Andersen, Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, Willie Roaf, Will Smith and Tom Benson.