Drew Brees is headed to Canton, Ohio.
The former record-breaking quarterback of the New Orleans Saints will be inducted this August into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The announcement of this year’s class was made during the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday night.
Brees will be joined this year by former Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly, New England kicker Adam Vinatieri, and San Francisco running back Roger Craig.
Brees’ longtime teammate Jahri Evans was a finalist for a third straight year but fell short of enshrinement.
Brees spent 15 seasons in New Orleans from 2006-2020, helping the Saints win 142 games as the signal caller alongside head coach Sean Payton, who helped the franchise and city recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. During his 15 seasons, the Saints made the postseason nine times, making three NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl.
Brees still holds numerous NFL records, including having the highest completion percentage (67.7) in NFL History, and second all-time in passing yards (80,358) and passing touchdowns (571).
Brees also led the NFL in passing yards seven times, completion percentage six times, and passing touchdowns four times. He was a 13-time Pro Bowl selection, a two-time NFL Offensive Player of the Year, and was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIV.
Brees still holds the record for consecutive games with a touchdown (52) and is the only player to have multiple 5,000-yard seasons
Brees was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.
Evans — the right guard who played 11 seasons with the Saints — has a resume that is Hall of Fame worthy. He started all 179 games he played for the franchise (169 regular-season, 10 postseason), including the victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
During Evans’ tenure, New Orleans was top five in yards per game every season, and led the league in ’06, ’08, ’09, ’11, ’14, ’15, and ’16. The Saints also led the NFL in scoring three times (2008, ’09, and ’11) and finished third once (2012).
Evans was a five-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler who was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, the Saints’ 50th Anniversary Team, and is a member of the Saints Hall of Fame who was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor.
Brees becomes the latest Saint to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He will join former President-General Manager Jim Finks (1995), linebacker Rickey Jackson (2010), offensive tackle Willie Roaf (2012), kicker Morten Anderson (2017), and linebacker Sam Mills (2022).
Other players-coaches spent a brief amount of time with the Saints, who are also enshrined. That includes running back Jim Taylor (1976), defensive end Doug Atkins (1982), running back Earl Campbell (1991), coach Hank Stram (2003), quarterback Kenny Stabler (2016), and cornerback Eric Allen (2025).