Saints went all in on Drew Brees when doctors gave him a 25% chance to play again
“More than a Saint” reveals how Brees’ damaged shoulder, a struggling franchise and a city recovering from Hurricane Katrina came together in 2006.
NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Before Drew Brees became the NFL’s all-time leading passer, he was an injured quarterback wondering whether another team would believe he could play again.
In 2006, Brees and the New Orleans Saints were each searching for a new beginning.
New Orleans was barely six months removed from Hurricane Katrina. The Saints were coming off a 3-13 season, the Superdome was unplayable and the organization did not know where the team would play.
The Saints had also hired Sean Payton and were considering changes throughout the franchise, including at quarterback.
The team explored several options. Matt Leinart and Vince Young were entering the NFL draft, while Brees, Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown were among the available free agents.
Brees eventually became the Saints’ top target.
The team flew to Birmingham, Alabama, to meet Brees and his wife, Brittany, as the quarterback rehabilitated the shoulder injury that ended his time in San Diego.
Miami was also pursuing Brees. Then-Dolphins coach Nick Saban wanted to sign him, but members of the organization questioned whether Brees would ever return to his previous form.
“I never felt any doubt from the Saints that I wasn’t gonna come back and be able to help lead this franchise, and this community,” Brees said. “I certainly felt those doubts from the Dolphins side.”
The injury was considered unprecedented for a quarterback because of the damage to Brees’ throwing shoulder.
“The diagnosis coming off of that was, well, we think he’s got a 25% chance of ever coming back and playing again,” Brees said.
Brees said Saban remained an advocate for him despite the diagnosis, but the Dolphins ultimately followed the advice of their doctors.
The Saints made a different choice.
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Dr. James Andrews could not promise that Brees would be fully recovered during his first season in New Orleans. He told the organization that Brees could be close to 100% by his second season.
The Saints were prepared to wait.
“We bet strongly on the makeup and the grit,” Payton said.
For Brees, the organization’s commitment came at a time when he was struggling with his own uncertainty.
“None of this is possible without Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis believing in me at a time when it was kind of hard for me to believe in myself, you know, coming off that injury,” Brees said. “But it was those guys who saw something in me, believed in me, and it equipped and empowered me.”
Once the Saints decided Brees was their quarterback, the organization wanted him to know it was fully committed.
“Once we decided that Drew was the guy we wanted, man, we were all in,” Loomis said. “And we wanted to make sure that he knew we were all in with him.”
Brees needed a franchise willing to believe in his recovery. The Saints needed a quarterback who could help rebuild the team and its connection with New Orleans.
“You don’t know it in ’06, but in 2026, you know it was a match made in heaven.”
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