Drew Brees wanted to sign with the Miami Dolphins
This offseason, the Miami Dolphins find themselves searching for a quarterback. This has become a familiar position for the franchise, as they have yet to find a true replacement for Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
The team has tried different paths, whether drafting first-round quarterbacks like Ryan Tannehill and Tua Tagovailoa, signing veteran free agents like Trent Green and Ryan Fitzpatrick, or trading for quarterbacks like Josh Rosen and Daunte Culpepper. Although some had more success than others, none of them managed to break Miami’s playoff win drought, as the team has yet to win a playoff game since the 2000 season.
Perhaps that could have all been avoided if they had not listened to their medical staff and followed the wishes of a Hall of Fame quarterback.
Drew Brees Expressed Desire to Sign with Miami Dolphins
After five seasons with the San Diego Chargers, Drew Brees entered free agency in the 2006 offseason. However, during his last game with the Chargers in 2005, Brees suffered a severe shoulder injury that jeopardized his upcoming free agency. Despite this, the Dolphins originally expressed their interest in the quarterback, and it seems the interest was mutual.
On the New Heights show, Brees said regarding wanting to come to Miami, “On paper that was an obvious decision, it was Miami all the way. Miami had Nick Saban, they had just come off a 9-7 season, where they won like the last seven in a row, so, they kind of had it figured out. Defense was lights out, Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor. I loved all their coaching staff, they were running the same offense that we were running.
I’m sitting there eating dinner on Wayne Huyzenga’s yacht, he’s there at dinner talking about ‘hey we’re gonna go play golf in Scotland’ every summer with Dan (Marino). No state income tax, I’m like ‘Dude’ ‘This is on paper Miami here I come’”
Unfortunately, things did not turn out well, as the Dolphins medical staff evaluated the damage on Brees’ shoulder and did not like what they saw. Brees told Dan Patrick that Miami head coach Nick Saban told him, “Our doctors think you have a 25% chance of ever coming back and playing again.”
Ramifications for Miami Dolphins
Due to the medical staff not clearing Brees, Miami ultimately opted against signing him. The team pivoted and traded a second-round pick for three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who was coming off a major knee injury. Culpepper made four starts for the Dolphins, where he struggled, before being benched by head coach Nick Saban. Following the season, Nick Saban left for Alabama, and Culpepper was released by the Dolphins.
Brees would go on to sign with New Orleans, where he made the Pro Bowl 12 times while making the All-Pro team five times and led the Saints to a Super Bowl win in the 2009 season. In 2026, he was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Meanwhile, Miami is still searching for its next franchise quarterback.
Jose Esquer Jose Esquer is a Mexican-American sportswriter and communications student based in San Diego, CA. His work spans football, basketball, baseball, and soccer. He has written for platforms like RotoWire and DolphinsTalk. You can find him on Twitter/X @JEsquer8, usually talking Dolphins, world football, or both. More about Jose Esquer
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