Heading into the 2026 season, the Miami Dolphins were coming off of Nick Saban’s first year running the team, and they finished with a 9-7 record and second in the AFC East behind the New England Patriots.
While Gus Frerotte started 15 games for the team in 2005, Miami wanted a change at quarterback and looked into acquiring former San Diego Chargers gunslinger Drew Brees. They ended up bringing in Dante Culpepper, who only started four games for the Dolphins, while Brees went on to make play 15 years for the New Orleans Saints, making 12 Pro Bowls and and five All-Pro teams. He also won a Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP before getting inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026.
At the time Brees was coming off of a severe shoulder injury, which played a large part in the quarterback not playing for the Dolphins, but in an interview on the “New Heights” podcast from earlier this year that’s been going viral, Brees revealed how close he was to signing with Miami and why he ultimately landed in New Orleans.
“On paper, it was Miami all the way,” Brees said. “Miami had Nick Saban. They had just come off a 9–7 season. Defense was lights out. They were running the same offense we were running. I’m sitting there eating dinner on Wayne Huizenga’s yacht. He’s talking about playing golf in Scotland every summer. No state income tax. I’m like, ‘Dude, this is wallpaper. Miami, here I come.’ New Orleans was six months post-Katrina. They just hired some unknown head coach named Sean Payton. Who is this guy?
“I’m in Miami in an MRI tube for two hours just aching. They stick these big needles in my shoulder to test the nerve endings. I got this feeling of doubt. They don’t really think I will be able to play. Their doctors said I had a 25% chance of coming back and playing again. I go to New Orleans and it was like, ‘You are our guy.’ Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis said, ‘We’re building this offense around you.’ They did everything they could to roll out the red carpet despite all the circumstances. New Orleans was still destroyed.”
“Houses were off their foundations. There was a Chevy truck upside down in a living room. The car stops, and there’s a tugboat in the middle of the road. I’m looking at my wife like, ‘Are you seeing what I’m seeing?’ It was one of those moments where it’s like this is so much bigger than just football. We get to be part of the resurrection of one of America’s greatest cities. This is God’s calling in our life. And that was the determining factor.”
Ultimately, it was the right decision for Brees, as he has the personal success, helped his team hoist the Lombardi Trophy and helped the city of New Orleans recover from the disaster that came with Hurricane Katrina.
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Hall of Fame QB reveals why he chose not to sign with Dolphins
Reporting by Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire / Dolphins Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Masala, Dolphins Wire | USA TODAY Network
