Brees-ing Into History

By Jim Gazzolo

When he arrived in New Orleans, he was broken. 

An injured free agent with a future in question, Drew Brees wasn’t exactly a wanted man.

Miami passed on him and his injured shoulder, but the Saints and their head coach at the time, Sean Payton, thought otherwise. Maybe they didn’t have a choice.

It wasn’t like folks were lining up to come to New Orleans, which was staggering but somehow still standing in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which hit in August of 2005.

In their first season after the storm, the Saints played their home games in East Rutherford, NJ, San Antonio, and Baton Rouge. It was hardly an ideal situation. 

They finished that year a dismal 3-13 as rumors circulated that the franchise could be moving to San Antonio permanently. 

That’s when the Saints hired Payton first before giving Brees a six-year, $60 million deal to be the face of their franchise. That became a match made in Saints heaven.

Brees played the next 15 years in New Orleans, setting franchise and NFL records. He and Payton teamed up to lead the Saints to their only Super Bowl championship in 2009, capping a comeback for both the franchise and the city. Brees was named the game’s MVP, quite a big deal for a guy who had just two Division I offers coming out of high school in Austin, Texas. 

Last Sunday, Brees was back at the Super Bowl, celebrating being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on the first ballot just days earlier. He will be enshrined this coming summer.

The honor caps a 20-year career that left him second all-time in passing yards and touchdown passes. But he is remembered more in Louisiana for helping save a city and region.

“For 15 years, Drew Brees represented New Orleans Saints football perfectly, " said Mickey Loomis, the team’s Executive Vice President and General Manager. “When we signed him in 2006, he played an important role in transforming our franchise. Drew set the standard for the quarterback position not only within our organization, but across the National Football League.”

Brees said he got a lot of help along the way.

“There are a lot of people riding with me,” said Brees. “It is pretty surreal.”

Brees gave credit to Payton and Loomis, who took a chance on him when others passed. 

“They took a chance and believed in me,” said Brees. “Every day I went into the building, I wanted to prove them right. Nothing is possible without Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis.

“I carry the City of New Orleans with me, our fan base, my teammates, with me into the Hall of Fame.”

Payton’s numbers will forever be recorded in the team’s history books. 

Yet it is what he did for a broken city that will make him a legend for those who used him to rebuild their lives.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.