"He deserves to be in, he deserves to be first ballot. He's the greatest Saint ever"
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| Saints legend Drew Brees arrived in Canton on Thursday, August 6 and attended several fan and media events, ending with an appearance at the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. AP Photo/New Orleans Saints |
Canton, Ohio – If it takes a Pro Football Hall of Famer to know a Pro Football Hall of Famer, then Drew Brees was in perfect company Friday morning.
Brees, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, was joined Friday morning by Rickey Jackson (Class of 2010, Saints player from 1981-93), Willie Roaf (Class of 2012, Saint from 1993-2001) and Morten Andersen (Class of 2017, Saint from 1982-94), while Brees made a promotional visit and worked a shift at Raising Cane's in Canton, Ohio.
"It was just a matter of time," Jackson said. "You know that he was going in. (Defensive end) Cam Jordan probably is the next one and hopefully, (Jahri Evans) makes it. I like to see Saints guys get in."
"The end of a great career," Roaf said. "The way he conducted himself on and off the field and the person he is – you know it was coming, it was just a matter of when he was going to lace the cleats up and finish his career."
"Drew's awesome," Andersen said. "Twenty years, 15 years with the Saints, Super Bowl, (Hurricane) Katrina – you can go on and on and on. What he was able to do with (Coach) Sean Payton and all the rest of the guys was a catalyst for excellence in New Orleans. He deserves to be in, he deserves to be first ballot. He's the greatest Saint ever."
Brees, the first Saint to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, has been in the midst of a whirlwind week in Canton, with little time to stop and savor the moment.
"(The Hall of Famers) warned me, they said it's going to be a blur," Brees said. "They said come back next year, you and your wife, and just sit and watch and go, 'Oh, these are all the things we missed.' You're in the fray. Just trying to take it all in. And honestly, every moment, I think it becomes a little bit more real.
"One of the things (Thursday) night was we did a toast with all the Hall of Famers in the bust gallery. So here you are, looking at all of the busts and then all of a sudden you're clinking glasses with Lawrence Taylor (Class of 1999) and it's like, 'Whoa. That just happened.' Willie Lanier (Class of 1986) is toasting you. It's pretty special."
It was one of many that has been special for Brees, when he has had time to exhale. The exclamation mark comes Saturday, during an induction speech that is supposed to last 10 to 12 minutes, but that Brees said likely will run past that mark. The ESPN/NFL Network broadcast starts at 11 a.m. central with Brees scheduled to be the last of the five players being inducted to deliver his speech.
"I've cried no less than 50 times writing the speech," Brees said. "Driving in my car – tears. Working out in the weight room – tears. On the plane the other day – tears. I've tried to put myself in the moment and just visualize their faces as I'm writing the things that I want to say about them and, yeah, I get super emotional about it.
"I'm trying to get it all out of the way so that it can be a nice, smooth speech, and not making anybody too uncomfortable. But that just comes with it."
SHOULDER NEWS: Brees said he likely will need shoulder replacement in the future. His right (throwing) shoulder required extensive repairs in 2006, following an injury in his final game with the San Diego Chargers. He joined the Saints as a free agent that year and played 15 more seasons while building his Hall of Fame resume, but said that Dr. James Andrews, the orthopedic surgeon who performed the surgery, advised him to "wear out the tires as much as you can, but know that you're on a fast track to a degenerative shoulder after this," Brees said.
"I'll probably have to get a shoulder replacement at some point. But I'm hanging on as long as I can."
- John DeShazier
