Former Saints stars Drew Brees and Jahri Evans are among the 15 modern-era finalists for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. WWL Radio Saints analyst Mike Detillier says Brees is a lock to get in after throwing for 80,000 yards, the second most in NFL history.
“And what he did for the city, for the Who Dat Nation, for the Saints community, winning a championship, raising them to levels they had never been to before,” Detillier said.
Brees led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title in 2009 and is the only player in club history to win the league’s Offensive Player of the Year Award, which he won twice. Brees is trying to become the first Saints player to be elected on the first ballot of his Hall of Fame candidacy and Detillier believes it will happen.
“You can’t write the history of the National Football League, over the last 25 years without Drew Brees,” Detillier noted.
Former Saints offensive guard Jahri Evans is also a finalist. Detillier says Evans has been a finalist the last three years and this might be his year.
“A four-time All-Pro, he was part of the All-Decades team for the 2010s. Goes to show just how dominant he was,” Detillier said.
New Orleans natives Eli Manning and Reggie Wayne are also finalists. Manning won two Super Bowls as the quarterback of the New York Giants, while Wayne was a great receiver for the Colts and ranks 10th all-time in both receiving yards and receptions.