Feb. 20, 2026, 6:55 a.m. CT
Five new members were chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, and Canton, Ohio. Among that group was New Orleans Saints legend Drew Brees, the cornerstone for many years of an elite offense that ended up bringing the one and only Lombardi Trophy so far to the city.
When he was told about his Hall of Fame induction, the man to present him with the honor was none other than former San Diego Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts, a longtime friend of Brees who ended up with the overlap playing for the same team at a different time, many years later.
This was discussed recently on the New Heights podcast hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, where they asked Brees which franchise he was choosing as his team to be inducted as a representative for, and why Fouts ended up being chosen. Brees made it clear he was a Saints inductee.
“Nothing against Fouts, but that was a little thing that was surprising to me,” Travis Kelce said. “Is there like a personal connection there, why Chargers and not a former Saint?”
Brees made clear the connection between the two: “So he was one of the first guys that I spoke with when I was drafted, was Dan Fouts, obviously his legendary status. … You know, he’s been great to me, ever since I first signed in the league, and obviously a Charger legend. Ironically, that Coryell offense was one that we ran when I was first in San Diego. So there was a connection there too, so that was pretty neat.”
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Hearing that the Chargers, even that many years later, were still running some form of the Don Coryell offense, drawn up by Fouts’ former head coach, is pretty intriguing and a fun connection between the two quarterbacks. While it would have been nice to have someone like Cameron Jordan present Brees with the honor, it is great to hear that the connection to Fouts was also an extremely strong one for him, which made the moment all that much more special.