If 100 people came up with an all-time New Orleans Saints team and coaching staff, each of those individuals would likely have Drew Brees as the quarterback and Sean Payton as the head coach. On that note, the legendary Saints quarterback wants his former head coach to be the one that presents him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Saints posted a video to X on Thursday of Brees Facetiming Payton, his head coach of 14 years (2006-11 and 2013-20), asking him to present the quarterback at his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in Canton, Ohio next month.
“Honest to God, I can’t believe you just did that,” Payton said to Brees in the video, while holding back tears. Payton later said he’d “absolutely” present Brees, which was an opportunity he called “awesome,” and that he “loves” the Saints legend.
Brees is one of five players who are part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the other four being wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back Roger Craig, kicker Adam Vinatieri and linebacker Luke Kuechly.
After five seasons with the San Diego Chargers (2001-05), Brees signed with the Saints in the same offseason the franchise hired Payton, who was previously the assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys under Hall of Famer Bill Parcells, as head coach.
And the rest is history.
Brees went on to be a Pro Bowler in 13 of his 15 seasons in New Orleans, earn Offensive Player of the Year honors in two seasons (2008 and 2011), lead the NFL in passing yards seven times, completion percentage six times, passing touchdowns four times and passer rating twice. He threw for 5,000 yards in five seasons and is second in league history in passing yards for a single season, throwing for 5,476 yards in 2011; Brees is also sixth, seventh and eighth on that list.
Brees and Payton’s partnership was highlighted by the Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV, the first and only such triumph in franchise history. In all, the Saints went 9-8 in the playoffs with the two.
Brees, who’s first in Saints history in passing yards (68,010), passing touchdowns (491), passer rating (101.5) and completion percentage (68.8%), is second in NFL history (regular-season stats) with 80,358 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns and third in completion percentage (67.7%).
Meanwhile, Payton is first in Saints history with 152 regular-season wins, a 63.1% regular-season winning percentage and nine playoff wins. Furthermore, he’s one of only three head coaches in Saints history to get the franchise to the postseason and one of just two to win a playoff game (the Saints went 1-1 in the playoffs under head coach Jim Haslett).
Payton stepped down as head coach after the 2021 season and was later traded to the Denver Broncos after the 2022 regular season. In that coaching gap year (2022), Payton served as an NFL Studio Analyst for FOX. Ironically, Brees is now a color commentator for the network.
The 2026 Hall of Fame enshrinement is on Sunday, Aug. 8.
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