Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees made one of the most impactful decisions in NFL history when he chose the New Orleans Saints over the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2006 season.
Brees changed the city, won a Super Bowl, and in 2026, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’s the face of the franchise well after his retirement, but his commitment to the Saints wasn’t immediately clear.
Drew Brees Breaks Down Decision To Sign With New Orleans Saints
The two main suitors for Brees were the Saints and the Dolphins. The latter, led by legendary head coach Nick Saban, were favorites for much of the process.
However, Brees ultimately decided to sign with the Saints, and the rest was history. He explained his decision-making process on “New Heights” with Jason and Travis Kelce.
“On paper, that was an obvious decision,” Brees began. “It was Miami all the way. Miami had Nick Saban; they had just come off a 9-7 [season] where they had won the last seven in a row. So they kind of had it figured out. … On paper, Miami, here I come. … And on the flip side, you’ve got New Orleans,” Brees said. “Six months post-Katrina, some unknown head coach named Sean Payton, who’s this guy?”
Payton’s tenure was in its infancy, and as an offensive coach, he needed a quarterback who could bring his scheme to life. Brees had flashed with the San Diego Chargers, and if he was healthy enough to play, he offered more certainty than a rookie from the 2026 NFL Draft.
More from Hall of Famer Drew Brees on his decision to sign with the Saints over the Dolphins:
“I’m sitting there eating dinner on Wayne Huizenga’s yacht.
The Miami trip was amazing, with the exception of – they put me through the ringer with the testing.
Their doctors told… pic.twitter.com/p9HYe9cYOu
— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) February 13, 2026
The Saints went all in, treating Brees, healthy or not, as their top priority. The Dolphins, meanwhile, were skeptical that Brees would successfully return from shoulder surgery.
“And the Miami trip was amazing, with the exception of [putting] me through the wringer of six hours of medical testing,” Brees admitted. “I was only like eight weeks post-op on an eight-month rehab. So I was nowhere close. I was still in a sling, and I can’t do anything. … I got this feeling of doubt. Their doctors were the ones who told Saban, ‘We think he’s got a 25% chance of ever coming back and playing again.’”
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With the Saints, Brees would become one of the most accomplished passers in league history. According to PFSN’s NFL QB Impact Metric, he put together nine top-five seasons with the Saints, an impressive feat in the golden era of quarterbacking.
Brees’s calling card was his precision, backed by six seasons atop the completion percentage leaderboard. His volume set him apart, too, leading the league in yards and touchdowns seven and four times, respectively.
That doesn’t happen without an elite offensive mind calling the shots and an organizational philosophy built around one of the game’s best quarterbacks.
“And I go to New Orleans, and it’s like, ‘You are our guy.’” Brees said. “Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, you are our guy, we’re going to build this offense around you. They did everything they could to roll out the red carpet despite the circumstances.
“New Orleans was still destroyed. We’re driving through there, and houses are off the foundation, Chevy truck upside down in the living room. All of a sudden, the car stops, and there’s a tugboat in the middle of the road.”
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Brees was a first-ballot Hall of Famer because of his on-field accomplishments, but there’s no mistaking that his biggest impact is felt throughout the city. Winning a Super Bowl for the Saints and helping the community persist after Katrina defined Brees’s legacy, and that opportunity became apparent before he put pen to paper.
