Former Chargers quarterback could be part of Padres future

Quarterback Drew Brees spent the first five years of his Hall of Fame career with the then San Diego Chargers. He may be a part of the San Diego sports landscape once again.

Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Brees is part of one of five ownership groups vying to purchase the San Diego Padres. He is part of the group led by Joe Kudla, who founded the Vouri clothing line.

Kudla has plenty of roots in San Diego. He attended the University of San Diego, where he was an All-American lacrosse player and graduated with a degree in accounting in 2000. Vuori's main corporate headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., are less than 40 miles from Petco Park.

Drew Brees, Joe Kudla an intriguing ownership option for San Diego Padres

Padres ownership had been in limbo since Peter Seidler died in 2023. His brothers assumed control of the team, leading to a lawsuit from Seidler's widow. While Seidler's family announced that they were looking to sell the team in November, a settlement between the two parties was not reached until Thursday.

Any potential sale, as well as the questions surrounding present ownership, have hamstrung the Padres over the past two offseasons. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has needed to be creative while constructing the roster, navigating around financial concerns while attempting to contend for a championship.

Should the ownership group of Brees and Kudla be successful in their bid, the Padres may continue to be rooted in San Diego. With the Chargers moving to Los Angeles, and the A's moving to Las Vegas via Sacramento, the added stability would be welcome.