Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton and legendary QB Drew Brees spent 14 seasons together in New Orleans.
And the two had an incredible amount of success, including winning Super Bowl XLIV and Brees becoming the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns before being passed by Tom Brady.
It was a phenomenal run that was culminated on Thursday night at NFL Honors. Brees is officially a member of the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
It’s abundantly clear there’s still a ton of respect between Payton and Brees, with the QB even coming to Broncos practice a couple of summers back.
After the news dropped on Thursday, both Payton and Brees had classy messages. Sean Payton posted on X and it has more than 500,000 views. Brees also spoke glowingly about Payton in an interview.
He came when most were leaving…Set a bar so high for all of us….He lead immediately….
He’s OUR 1st Ballot HOF QB!
Congratulations Drew Brees. Also, Congratulations to Your wife Brittany, Baylen, Bowen, Callen and Rylen. It was an honor to have coached you. pic.twitter.com/s6zKDcvj9L
— Sean Payton (@SeanPayton) February 6, 2026
“None of this is possible without @SeanPayton and Mickey Loomis,”
– @DrewBrees pic.twitter.com/1J16E6sY9u
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) February 6, 2026
Sean Payton certainly believed in Brees after he suffered a severe shoulder injury in 2005 that required major surgery.
But that leap of faith, along with belief from GM Mickey Loomis resulted in an incredible run of winning. The Saints had long been a joke in the NFL, but were contenders more years than not. They reached the mountaintop once and were also close on a handful of other occasions.
That charge was (of course) led by the whole team, but spearheaded by Sean Payton and Drew Brees. It’s one of the best head coach and QB duos in league history.
It’s cool to see 20 years after the pair got together in New Orleans for this to come full-circle. There’s a massive mutual appreciation for each other and the success they experienced together.
