Drew Brees Completely Transformed The New Orleans Saints Franchise

Published on March 13th, 2023 3:11 pm EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


There have been some transformative free agent signings in the history of the NFL.

Peyton Manning to the Denver Broncos. Reggie White to the Green Bay Packers. Charles Woodson to the Green Bay Packers. Deion Sanders to the San Francisco 49ers in 1994, and Deion Sanders to the Dallas Cowboys in 1995.

All of these signings resulted in massive payoffs for the teams involved.

The biggest free agency signing in NFL history, however, belongs to Drew Brees and his deal with the New Orleans Saints.

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In 2006, Drew Brees was a free agent after having been tagged by the San Diego Chargers the year before.

Brees would ink a 6-year, $60 million deal with the New Orleans Saints that included a signing bonus of $8 million and total guaranteed money of $20 million.

Brees would play for a total of 15 seasons for the New Orleans Saints, winning the OPOY award twice and finishing as the league passing leader a total of 7 times.

Most importantly, Brees completely changed the trajectory of the New Orleans Saints franchise.

Prior to signing Brees, the Saints had a long history of being mediocre to terrible.

In the season before signing Brees, the team posted a record of 3-13 and was struggling mightily.

In 2006, the Saints immediately rebounded, finishing the season with a record of 10-6 with Drew Brees at the helm.

In 2009, the Saints would win their first and only Super Bowl.

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Players like Peyton Manning and Reggie White would be instrumental in delivering Super Bowls to the teams that signed them.

Drew Brees, however, changed the New Orleans Saints franchise forever, and helped to lead the team through some very dark times.

There is no doubt that Drew Brees is the most impactful free agent signing in the history of the NFL.