
New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month, uncorking some more media opportunities for the historic passer. He's taken advantage of those chances, revealing some awesome moments from his playing days.
One of the topics he discussed was his thought process right before he landed in New Orleans. How close was he to playing for the Miami Dolphins? A lot closer than many may have thought before recently.
On a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, the legendary quarterback unveiled how he almost ended up with the Dolphins once his time with the Chargers was over. Drew Brees nearly never played for the Saints.
"I remember everything about that trip to Miami," Brees noted. "Again, on paper, I'm coming off the major shoulder injury. Not sure if I'll ever play football again, but hopeful. It's the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins. On paper, this was the easiest decision in the world. It's the Miami Dolphins all the way. Nick Saban is the head coach, he's done an outstanding job with that defense, one of the best defenses in the league, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor, they had finished that previous season winning seven in a row. Really the only question mark for their team was quarterback. Had skill position guys. Jason Garrett was the quarterbacks coach. Mike Mularkey was the OC. They were running the same offensive system that I was coming from in San Diego..."
"At the end of the day, Nick Saban looked me in the eye and said 'Our doctors think you have a 25% chance of ever coming back and playing again.' I was like, 'I know what they say, what do you think?' He was like, 'I've got to believe what the doctors are telling me, you know. We still want you, I'm just letting you know what's been said.' I just didn't really get the feeling that they had a ton of faith and confidence in my ability to come back.
Despite how good that visit was and how much respect I have for the organization and everything, the Saints were a totally different story from the perspective of, look we know that city was destroyed, but Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis had this unwavering belief in me to be their guy."
"It's the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins. On paper, this was the easiest decision in the world – it's the Miami Dolphins all the way."
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 11, 2026
– @drewbrees shares how he ended up in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/KRe0iWgSgA
Brees will always be known for donning the black and gold. It's intriguing to know that he wasn't always set on playing there during the glory days of his career, though.
Regardless, Saints fans are certainly happy with his bold, but heartfelt, choice to join them over Miami.
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