Saints legend Drew Brees is the first player in franchise history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
The formal announcement was made on Thursday night. No one could have predicted that Brees would become one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the NFL history when he was selected in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
“There’s plenty of the chip on the shoulder, something to prove,” Brees said. Hey, you’re too short, too slow, not enough arm strength, blah, blah, blah. But I don’t know. I took pride in being a 6-foot quarterback and maybe having to win in a different way.
Brees became the first quarterback to surpass 80-thousand career passing yards and his 571 touchdown passes are the second most in NFL history. His career completion percentage is the highest in league history.
Brees started his pro career in San Diego, but in the season before he was set to become a free agent, he suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and coach Sean Payton took a chance on him in 2006 and the rest is history.
“The first thing I would say is 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 myself, coming off that (shoulder) injury. So those guys just saw something in me, believed in me, and that equipped and empowered me to be the best that I could be,” Brees said.
Brees led the Saints to the franchise’s lone Super Bowl title in the 2009 season. He also guided New Orleans to three NFC Championship game appearances. He’s remembered for all of the records, the victories and maybe more importantly, his role in the post Katrina recovery.
“I know New Orleans was looking for a quarterback. But I promise you, I needed New Orleans more than New Orleans needed me. And I had a chance to be a part of something just special that most people don’t get a chance to be a part of, something that’s just so much bigger than them,” said Brees.
Brees and the rest of his class will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August.