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Drew Brees to be inducted into New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor at halftime of October 11 Saints-Vikings contest

Brees is the ninth person from the Saints organization to join the Ring of Honor

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Former New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees, a first-ballot member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2026, will be inducted into the club's Ring of Honor and receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence on Sunday, October 11, 2026, during an on-field ceremony at halftime of the Saints' contest against the Minnesota Vikings.

"As we celebrate the 60th season of the New Orleans Saints in 2026, the Ring of Honor represents the very best of our franchise and those whose impact extends throughout the National Football League," said Saints Owner & CEO Gayle Benson. "We are thrilled to welcome Drew into this distinguished group in October. His extraordinary accomplishments on the field, his leadership, and his lasting contributions to the New Orleans community make this honor so well deserved. We look forward to celebrating Drew with our fans and honoring the extraordinary legacy he built with the Saints and throughout the New Orleans community."

Overall, Brees is the ninth person from the Saints organization to join the Ring of Honor, joining Owner Tom Benson (2018), K Morten Andersen (2016), G Jahri Evans (2024), LB Rickey Jackson (2013), QB Archie Manning (2013), LB Sam Mills (2021), T William Roaf (2013) and DE Will Smith (2019).

Brees, who spent the last 15 seasons of his playing career with the Saints, shattered all team passing records and broke multiple NFL records in leading the Black and Gold to the Super Bowl XLIV championship.

"It will be a privilege to recognize Drew as a member of our Ring of Honor in October," said Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis. "Drew's production and character both on and off the field sets him apart as the greatest Saint ever. This is a great opportunity for our organization and our fan base to show appreciation for his Hall of Fame career."

The Austin, Texas native was originally selected by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Purdue University. Taking over starting duties for the Chargers in 2002, Brees was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2004 and was named the Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year prior to suffering a shoulder injury in the final game of the 2005 campaign.

Brees agreed to terms with the Saints on a five-year contract on March 14, 2006 and rehabbed ardently from an extensive surgery to prepare for an unforgettable debut season in the Crescent City, where he was selected as an AP All-Pro, Pro Bowl starter, led the Saints to the NFC championship game for the first time in franchise history and set the table for a prolonged run of astounding production and consistency.

A season after becoming only the second quarterback in NFL history to reach 5,000 passing yards and capturing AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, Brees led New Orleans to the top of the mountain in capturing Super Bowl XLIV and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. His heroics on and off the field earned him the esteemed Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year and AP Male Athlete of the Year honors. In 2011, Brees produced one of the most prolific seasons ever as he was named AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year for the second time, completing 468-of-657 passes (71.2 pct.) for 5,476 yards with 46 touchdown passes and a 110.6 passer rating, as he set what was then the league's single-season passing yardage mark while leading New Orleans to its second 13-3 campaign in three seasons.

Continuing to be a model of consistency, Brees eventually transitioned the franchise to a second period of excellence. In 2018, he enjoyed another standout campaign where he set the NFL's single-season record for completion percentage (74.4), completing 364-of-489 passes for 3,992 yards with 32 touchdowns, only five interceptions and a 115.7 passer rating as he led the Black and Gold to the NFC Championship game, becoming the NFL's all-time leader in passing yardage and completions along the way. In what would turn out to be his final campaign under center in 2020, Brees became the first quarterback in league history to surpass 80,000 career passing yards.

In his career, Brees was a two-time AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year, named to 13 Pro Bowls, five AP All-Pro teams, was the AP 2004 NFL Comeback Player of the Year, the 2006 co-recipient of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and the 2007 winner of the PFWA George Halas Award (given to an NFL player, coach or staff member who overcomes the most adversity to succeed). Over 20 seasons, he appeared in 287 regular season games with 286 starts and completed 7,142-of-10,551 passes (67.7 pct.) for 80,358 yards, 571 touchdowns and a 98.7 passer rating.  He set numerous NFL passing records and retired as the league's all-time leader in passing yardage (80,358), completions (7,142), passing attempts (10,551), ranked second in career completion percentage (67.7 pct.) and touchdown passes (571) and fifth in passer rating (98.7).

Brees set marks for touchdown passes in a game (seven, tied with seven other players), completions in a season (471, 2016- since broken), completion percentage in a season (74.4, 2018), completion percentage in a game (96.7, 12/16/19), 300-yard passing games in a season (13, 2011), consecutive games with at least 300 yards passing (nine, twice), most passing yards in a four-season span (20,767, 2011-14), most passing yards in a five-season span (25,637, 2011-15), most passing yards in a six-season span (30,845, 2011-16), most seasons leading the league in passing yardage (seven), consecutive games with a touchdown pass (54, 2009-12), games with four-plus touchdown passes (37), games with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions (25), games with five-plus touchdown passes (11), consecutive (nine) seasons with at least 30 touchdown passes, career 300-yard passing games (123), career 350-yard passing games (63) and career 400-yard passing games (16). He retired holding four of the top five most accurate seasons in league history and threw for 5,000 yards an NFL-record five times, a feat no other player has accomplished more than twice.

Starting all 18 postseason contests, he appeared in Brees completed 481-of-721 passes (66.7 pct.) for 5,366 yards with 37 touchdowns and a 97.1 passer rating. In his finest postseason moments during the 2009 playoffs, he completed 72-of-102 passes (70.6 pct.) for 732 yards, eight touchdowns, zero interceptions and a 117.0 passer rating en route to the Super Bowl XLIV title. In Super Bowl XLIV vs. the Indianapolis Colts, Brees completed 32-of-39 passes (82.1 pct.) for 288 yards with two touchdowns, zero picks and a 114.5 passer rating, winning Most Valuable Player honors. In the contest, Brees completed 18 of his last 19 passes and final 10 attempts. He is one of only eight quarterbacks to have 200 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a 70% completion percentage in a Super Bowl win.

Brees' record as a starter for the Saints was 151-94 (.616) in the regular season and postseason combined, easily making him the winningest signal-caller in franchise history. Posting a 144-85 (.629) record in the regular season and postseason with Sean Payton as his head coach, the Payton-Brees head coach/starting quarterback combination is tied for second in total wins all-time in NFL history. Brees is the holder of virtually every passing record in club record books with his 15 years of service and 228 regular season starts for the Black and Gold, both the highest totals in the team's history at the time. From 2006-20, Brees led the NFL with 68,010 passing yards, 491 touchdown passes, 8,742 attempts, 6,017 completions, a 68.8 completion percentage, 116 games with at least 300 yards passing, 16 with at least 400 and 518 completions of 25 yards or more.

Saints legend Drew Brees was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, Aug. 8, in Canton, Ohio, with former Saints head coach Sean Payton serving as his presenter and several former teammates attending in support of the quarterback.

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