Drew Brees was one of the greatest and most intense competitors to ever step on a football field, and if you expected that intensity to wane in retirement, well, that means you didn't know him all that well.
The legendary Saints quarterback was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday afternoon, and he delivered an at times fiery, at times emotional, but always on-point speech that lasted just over 25 minutes and covered it all. From his Texas roots to his time at Purdue to the start of his NFL career with the Chargers and ultimately his found home in New Orleans, it seemed nothing and no one was left out.
Brees named well over 50 people in his speech, including former Saints head coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis, a host of teammates and coaches, even his Uptown neighbors who cooked the families red beans and rice each Sunday. There weren't many dry eyes in the house.
With all that in mind, scroll below for the full transcript of Brees' speech from the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
"Thank you. To the Hall of Fame class of 2026, I cannot have asked for a better class of men, players, and contributors to the great game of football. It is an absolute honor to join this elite fraternity with you and we are now bonded for life. To all the Hall of Famers, you've inspired generations, you've passed it forward, and we will do the same.
It is impossible to properly articulate or encapsulate all the feelings, emotions, and appreciation that comes along with the 20-year NFL career in the time that we have. But I will do my best to entertain and enlighten you with the stories, the places, and people who shape my mindset, directed my trajectory, and define my career. We may laugh, we may cry, the chance I make it through this without crying is zero. But most of all, I hope we leave with a greater love, respect, and reverence for the virtues of this game.
I've always relished the opportunity to play sports and be a part of the team. I came from a very athletic and competitive family. In fact, this story best sums up how important sports was to our family growing up. My uncle, Marty Akens, was an all-American quarterback at the University of Texas, running the wishbone offense with future pro football hall of famer Earl Campbell.
When Marty was in elementary school, he was called in the principal's office with my grandfather Ray Akens, who was a legendary high school football coach in the state of Texas. The principal went on to say that she had some concerns about what young Marty was being taught at home. Apparently in class that day, Marty had been asked to stand up and name the four seasons. Instead of saying summer, fall, winter, and spring, Marty instead said football, basketball, baseball, and track.
I'd like to thank all of the members of my family for hard wiring this competitive desire and spirit into my system at a very early age. To my father Chip, thank you that the answer to me whenever I would ask to play catch, to pitch to me, shoot hoops with me, or drop me off of the field was always yes. My mother, Mina Ruth Akens, was the most competitive person I've ever known. She passed away 17 years ago yesterday. So much of her lives inside of me. And I know how proud she would be of me, but even more so of her grandchildren.
My brother Reid, whether we were catching crawfish in Shoal Creek, riding our bikes to the baseball card shop, or putting dents in our parents' garage pitching to each other. You were the best brother I could ever ask for. And my sister Audrey, I'm so proud of your accomplishments and the woman you've become. I don't take for granted that I got to play the most coveted position in all the sports. From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to play quarterback.
I never saw the position as one of pressure, but rather one of great responsibility. Bill Parcells described it as the steady hand that steers the ship. Marty Schottenheimer would say, ‘There is no position on the field whose performance has greater impact on those around him.’ Bill Walsh often emphasized the great quarterback play is about making the correct decisions repeatedly.
The quarterback is the distributor of hope and confidence, a master of probability, the ultimate problem-solver. I've always seen the game of football and the quarterback position as a true art form, like a song or a dance. The key to the art form was controlling the rhythm of the game. Everything had a rhythm from the articulation of the play in the huddle, to the presnap cues and communication, to the cadence and the snap of the ball. To your feet dropping back, the timing and flow of your hitch or your gather. To the 0.3 seconds between your front foot hitting the ground that set off a combustion of energy from the ground force all the way from your toes to your fingertips. As it translates power to the pronation and the spin of the ball as it releases into the atmosphere. That feeling is what I live for. I wish I could say we're stress free. Quite the contrary.
The amount of head space this occupied in a given and weak was all-consuming. How can I visualize every eventuality, every possible scenario? What if the defense does this? What if it does that? What if they decide to take this player away? What if they bring that exotic pressure in that crucial situation, Luke Kuechly? But I love the chess match. It was a complex puzzle to solve. Each drive represented a section of that puzzle. If you failed with one, you could log away that information and come back to it later with a different perspective, or a different confidence. And to solve it was euphoric. Because through the process, you saw something take place. You saw a masterpiece come together with every teammate in position playing an integral role in the final outcome. And that feeling began in high school.
To this day, one of the proudest accomplishments in my career was winning a Texas 5A State Championship for Westlake High School in Austin, Texas. Youth sports and especially high school football should always be about character and leadership development, teamwork, and positive affiliation. May we never forget that.
Thank you to Ron Schroeder and all of our coaches at Westlake who built a program that we all strive to be a part of. One that prioritized discipline, accountability, and camaraderie. Thank you to Carment Kiara, the mentor and motivator for our entire team as we suffered through summer conditioning at Heartbreak Hill in East Austin ... And to the class in 1997 who led with incredible passion and purpose becoming the measuring stick for every team that followed.
But one of the most life-changing events occurred in my junior year of high school. After suffering a major knee injury which put my athletic career in jeopardy, my identity was challenged. Up until that point, sports had defined me and I wasn't sure who I was without it. Sitting in church on my 17th birthday, Christ came into my heart and changed me forever. I felt protected, connected, and directed towards the path that God had for me. He would equip me for the journey, which led me to places I never could have expected. Thank you to Pastor Sean Mitchell, Miles McPherson, Rob Wilton, and Troy Martin for your Christian mentorship in my life.
Purdue University. I still don't know how you got this Texas kid up to West Lafayette, Indiana. But it was certainly one of the best decisions I ever made. Sorry, boom. I chose Purdue because of its academic reputation and the opportunity to play in the Big 10 conference. Little did I know I would leave four years later with one of the most respected degrees in the country, a Big 10 championship, the love of my life, and an opportunity to live out my childhood dream being a professional athlete. It is an absolute honor to join Purdue grads Bob Griese, Len Dawson, Rod Woodson, and legendary coach Hank Stram as boilermakers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Thank you to Tim Pep Lappano, wide receiver coach at Purdue, and the one who claims to was still on the table to recruit this 6-foot 170 pound kid out of Central Texas. To coaches Jim Chaney and Greg Olson, thank you for pushing me, for preparing me, for testing me, and always holding me accountable. To our late head coach Joe Tiller, thank you for creating an environment where we always had to prove it. You always had that look in your eye like you knew something we didn't. You knew how hard to push us and that was well past our perceived limits. We trusted your plan as you said a new standard that developed grit, toughness, and put a massive chip on our shoulders. We carried that everywhere we went. Two of my best friends in the world were part of that class of Purdue. Ben Smith and Jason Loerzel. Thank you for your friendship. Your loyalty, your unwavering support, and being there for me during some of my toughest moments. As great as it was to be your teammates and lifelong friends, what's even better is watching our children grow up together. So many emotions travel through you during the NFL draft process. With one pick, your life and circumstances can change forever. You just hope that you end up in the right place at the right time with the right team, with the right coach, in the right system.
Thank you to the Spanos family, general manager John Butler and coach Norv Turner who had everything to do with drafting me to the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. This was exactly where I was supposed to be. And what made it even sweeter, I was joining the guy they drafted in the first round. Hall of Famer and one of the greatest running backs in history, LaDanian Tomlinson. Not many people know this, LT and I grew up 2 hours from each other and played on the South Texas All-Star team together in 1997. We found our way back together 4 years later as Heisman trophy finalists. At the Heisman presentation, we both made a statement. Wouldn't it be something if we ended up on the same team? LT, I always felt a strong kinship with you. We had so much in common. Drafted the same year, married the same year, won the Walter Payton Man of the Year the same year. We grew up together quickly in this league.
I credit so many things in my career to the 5 years I spent with the Chargers. From the first moment I walked into the facility, there was no question who the leaders were. Junior Seau out and Rodney Harrison. You always hope that your best players are your hardest workers and your best leaders and that standard was clear with June Bug and Hot Rod. Another one of the great influences early in my career was Doug Flutie. Doug, you were ahead of your time. I saw you throwing back shoulder throws, no look passes, and manipulating arm angles long before it became a revolutionary thing. I modeled so much of my game after you and I'm not sure if there was anyone more competitive. Thank you for being supportive of me throughout my entire career.
Lorenzo Neal, one of the greatest fullbacks ever played the game. They don't make him like you anymore, Lo. Neal used to call me PB as a young player was PB, PB. One day Lo Neal said, ‘You know why I call you PB? Man, it means pro bowler. Because that's who you are, but you got to believe it.’ Lo, you just don't know how much that meant to me at the time. I love you, PB.
Antonio Gates, one of the greatest tight-ends ever played the game. I just wish we had more time together. Marty Schottenheimer, one of the greatest coaches and motivators to ever coach this game and who belongs here in Canton. Marty was my biggest fan. He would tell me that all the time. Even as he benched me three times and made me fight for my job every year with two greats, Doug Flutie and Philip Rivers. The first two times I got benched, I deserved it. The third time, I still don't think I deserved it, coach.
But nonetheless, it lit more than a fire. It forced me to access a place in my mind and my heart that I had not yet been. The adversity was not expected, but very necessary. I would never had reached the heights I did without it. I knew I needed to play better, but more importantly, I knew that he believed I would play better. Thank you to coach Cam Cameron and Brian Schottenheimer, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for the Chargers. I’ll never forget a film session in 2003. I was coming off a tough game and as we watched the tape together, they asked me the question, ‘Hey, why didn't you throw to this receiver? He was wide open.’ To which my response was, ‘I couldn't see him.’ The tape paused, there was a moment of silence, they glared at me and said, ‘It's your job to see.’ You reach a point in your career when you stop making excuses. It's usually a moment or an event where you flip a switch or make a very conscious decision and it becomes part of your being. They were right and never again would those words or thoughts come out of my mouth. I would need to find a way to play the game a little bit different even if it was in a way that had not been done before. It would shape me for what came next. New Orleans.
When we bought our home in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, Brittany and I could not have been more excited and scared to embark on this new journey and chapter in our lives. As we were moving in, containers of housewarming gifts began to show up at the front door. As I opened the lid to the first container, expecting to see brownies or perhaps chocolate chip cookies, it was rather the smell of butter and onions and Cajun seasoning in a dark roux that made up crawfish ettouffe. The next day it was Jambalaya, the next day it was gumbo and we're not talking a small container. We're talking a big vat of the best home cooked Louisiana flavors you could imagine. Welcome to New Orleans.
But nothing compares to what we experienced every Monday night during my career in New Orleans. For 15 years straight and this is no exaggeration, our neighbors Steve and Kathy Price would make our family red beans and rice and cornbread. Whether it was their house, our house, or with great friends like Trombone Shorty, it was what we all looked forward to together. It was the perfect representation of what New Orleans is all about. It doesn't take you long to realize what makes New Orleans so special. New Orleans has been through a lot to the point where in some cases the feeling was we may have lost everything. It may never come back the same. Storms teach us that our greatest treasures aren't the things that we own. They're the people we love and the way we show up for one another. It reminds us to hold our loved ones a little closer, to love a little harder, to laugh a little louder, and to never take a single day for granted. Sometimes it takes losing what can be replaced to truly appreciate the things that can't. New Orleans, you accepted me. You embraced me You believed in me, but more importantly, you trusted me with the soul of the city and I would have died to protect that calling.
The greatest teams in sports are the ones who accept the responsibility of being true representations of their city, country, community. I speak for all of my Saints teammates when I say that's what we were inspired to do every day, for you. If you love New Orleans, it'll love you back. There is no truer statement. To the Who Dat Nation, there are a few events in your life where you remember exactly where you were when it occurred. For Saints fans, it is the Steve Gleason block punt on Monday Night Football, ropening the dome, September 25th, 2006. And when the Saints won Super Bowl 44. It was your spirit that allowed us to be special, to smell greatness and to finish strong.
To Tom and Gayle Benson, I will always appreciate Mr. Tom Benson's grandfather's advice. When he would call me into his office, slide the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times in front of me, with excerpts highlighted for me to read. He wanted to make sure I didn't lose sight of the important things happening in the world and in our community, even as we prepared to beat our next opponent. And I'll always appreciate Miss Gayle Benson's grace, calm demeanor, and thoughtfulness, as she would routinely deliver handwritten notes to her players expressing gratitude for their community work and congratulations on their personal accomplishments. Joe Lombardi, my quarterback coach for more than a decade, I respect you so much as a man. The values you hold dear and for always being a calming presence and a voice of reason.
Pete Carmichael, I was with Pete for 19 of my 20 years in the NFL, four with the Chargers and 15 with the Saints, mostly as our offensive coordinator. I'm not sure anyone dedicated themselves to the job more than you, Pete. I'm not sure anyone put more time or thought into preparing our teams and me. I'm so grateful for the years we spent together and the incredible moments that we shared.
To Sean Payton. I miss our dot meetings, coach. The night before every game, talking through every play, every situation, every matchup in the greatest of detail. I would literally ask Sean, ‘Hey coach, when do you think you'll call this play?’ He would squint his eyes and purse his lips, you know that look. Second quarter, across midfield, probably 47 yard line, second and 10, left hash, left middle maybe. They'll never expect it. Precise, instinctive. Coach, you were brilliant. I saw myself as an extension of you on that field. I always had something to prove to you and I always wanted to make you right. And I know you trusted me and that allowed us both to be great. I miss sitting next to you, Orny, and coach Vitt on the bus in Philly as eggs would hit our bus from Eagles fans on the way to the stadium. And just watching you grin with satisfaction. I missed the 3-hour flight home from Dallas to New Orleans after a big win. By the way, folks, that's only supposed to be an hour flight. But Sean would have the pilot circle 10 times so we could soak up the celebration on the plane a little bit longer. You never miss an opportunity to enjoy the moment. You always had a plan and a vision for every player you coached. I'm not sure if this is how you envisioned my journey or how big a role that you would play in it, but I love you for it. Thank you.
Our general manager during my entire career in New Orleans, Mickey Loomis. Sean Payton got a lot of credit, I got a lot of credit. Mickey, you did not get enough credit. You put character, leadership, and culture at the front of every decision, and the results speak for themselves.
Tom House, a friend, mentor, and confidant, you came into my life at a critical time. We grew together, we learned together, and had a heck of a lot of fun doing it. Thank you for teaching me to order the chaos, prolong my prime, and make gratitude my secret weapon.
Todd Durkin, my friend, mentor and trainer. Create impact. Be the light. The way you do anything is the way you do everything. You didn't just say it. You lived it. You modeled it. Every offseason was our laboratory to test the limits and reach new heights.
Gerald McCoy, Charles Tillman, Chase Daniel, Darren Sproles, our offseason workouts will forever be legendary. To my friend and contract agent for my entire 20-year career, Tom Conden. To my friend and marketing agent for over 20 years, Chris Stewart, to my friend and CPA for the last 25 years, John Palguda, to my friend and PT, always keeping me healthy for a decade, Bo Lowry. Thank you all for being the team behind the scenes. that always looked out for me.
To my kids, Baylen, Bowen, Callen, and Rylen, you are our greatest joy, greatest accomplishment, and greatest responsibility. At times during my career, you were my training partners. Other times you were my caretakers. You helped me study film. You even helped me brave the cold tub. But most importantly, you always helped me to remember to have fun. I played longer than I ever imagined in many ways because you continue to ignite my love and passion for the game as I saw it through your eyes. You are forever my greatest inspiration.
To my wife, Brittany. I could be up here till the sun sets and beyond talking about how much my wife means to me. But I'll just tell you a story that encapsulates it all. In 2003, coming off one of the toughest moments of my career with the Chargers, I was distraught, feeling I had let my team down. We fly home from Chicago and when I walk in the door to our home, my wife has printed pictures and quotes for my entire career and displayed them throughout every step of our home. She immediately turned one of the toughest moments of my career into a place of love, support, and unwavering confidence. My love, you have always had the ability to remind me of who I am and what I'm capable of. So much of what we accomplished was because I knew you were by my side and you believed in this calling.
One of my favorite coaches, Joe Vitt used to say, ‘the greatest teams are the ones who care about each other the most.’ The time we spent together away from the facility was always the most impactful. The offensive line dinners every Thursday night, supporting each other's charity events. The trips and holidays spent together, our Bible studies, inside the facility it was about developing timing, rhythm, and communication around the game plan. Outside the facility, it was about relationship, camaraderie, trust, connection, loyalty, and brotherhood. This is where the magic happens. Through life in the locker room, my Saints teammates became family to me and powerful influences on our children, despite the fact that my boys would often steal the gloves out of their lockers, Mike Thomas, Alvin Kamara. And by the way, I have three wide receivers on my hands now, so thanks a lot. Words cannot express my love and appreciation for you.
I often ask myself, how in the world did I play 20 years in the NFL? Yes, it was for the love of the game. Yes, it was a relentless attempt to master my craft. Yes, it was the grind and the challenge of preparation and the thrill of game day. But you want to know what it really was? For the love of my teammates. I would wake up every day with a burning desire to commit sacrifice and command in a way that would give them everything that they deserved. As time passes, those feelings don't diminish. They become stronger. What we built, what we achieved, what we experienced together can never be taken away. You all make up the golden threads of this jacket.
It represents the history of this game. The great men who pioneered its existence, but most importantly, it represents you. God bless you and WHO DAT!
