It was only a matter of time and that time has come: Legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees is headed to the Hall of Fame.
Brees was announced as part of the five-member class on Thursday at the NFL Honors ceremony, the first Saints player to ever land in the hall on their first ballot and the 10th overall. Saints guard Jahri Evans was also among the finalists but fell shy of induction for a second consecutive year. The Saints was true for a pair of New Orleans natives in Giants QB Eli Manning and Colts WR Reggie Wayne.
The rest of the 2026 class consists of:
- WR Larry Fitzgerald
- LB Luke Kuechly
- K Adam Vinatieri
- RB Roger Craig
- QB Drew Brees
Brees was the driving force on a host of legendary Saints offenses and held NFL records in most major passer categories when he retired after the 2020 season, including passing yards (80,358), completions (7,142), completion percentage (67.7%), though Tom Brady went onto eclipse some of those marks before retiring.
A record that looks like it'll never be broken is 5,000-passing yard seasons, of which Brees has five. Even with a 17th game, not a single quarterback has surpassed 5,000 yards in each of the past three seasons. Brees hit that mark four times in a 5-year stretch from 2008-2013. He also holds the NFL record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54) and is tied for the most touchdown passes in a game (7).
Originally drafted with the first pick of the second round by the Chargers in 2001, Brees signed with the Saints as a free agent in 2006 and despite concern over a major shoulder injury suffered in his final game with the Chargers. That injury is what ultimately forced Brees to call it a career in 2020, unfortunately with a limited number of fans able to watch his final go around the league due to the Coronavirus pandemic. His final game was a divisional round loss to Tampa Bay and Tom Brady, with the Bucs going on to win the Super Bowl.
Related
Brees was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV and was twice named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year, though he never broke through as the league's MVP. He was named to the Pro Bowl 13 times and All Pro five times, seven times led the league in passing, four times led the NFL in touchdowns and six times led the NFL in completion percentage. Brees was also named the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2006.
Brees was inducted into the Saints team Hall of Fame in 2024.