Feb. 17, 2026, 4:55 a.m. CT

Over the course of the last few weeks, Drew Brees has been providing some extremely fun stories and information following his Hall of Fame induction. The New Orleans Saints legend had an extremely long and productive career, and his ties to the franchise and the city are going to last forever.

Hearing some of the stories coming out following his career has been extremely entertaining, most notably his recent one discussing former All-Pro left guard Carl Nicks, whom he played with very early in his Saints career from 2008 to 2011 before Nicks left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Nicks was a hugely successful lineman for a few years, and despite only playing for six seasons, managed to rack up 70 starts, two All-Pro appearances, and two Pro Bowls.

In a recent interview on the New Heights podcast hosted by Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce, Brees told a story from early in his career regarding Nicks in his rookie year, and how the two immediately forged a bond on the field that lasted.

“So we draft Carl Nicks out of Nebraska, like fifth round, was just a steal, because he was one of the most giant human beings you’ve ever seen, right?” Brees began. “Like 6-4 360 or something. So, we have a bunch of injuries, all of a sudden he’s starting at left guard, this is ’08, his rookie year, like Week 2 or 3, so he’s fish out of water, and we’re short now at O-line too because a guy had gotten hurt. So, hot practice outside in New Orleans, and he’s taking every rep, first team, second team, so he’s like 35 consecutive plays in, and he’s just dragging. Sucking air, like it’s thick outside.”

Brees continued: “O-line coach Doug Marrone is just on him, on him, on him. I’m stepping up in the huddle again to call a play, and Carl is just kind of bent over, just sucking air. Marrone, just to kind of make a point, he goes into the huddle to grab Nicks to like stand him up. And I don’t know what came over me, but I just have a rule that when I step in the huddle, it’s my huddle. I want all eyes on me, I’m leading this. And so when Marrone stepped in the huddle, I didn’t even think about it, I just reacted, I just grabbed Doug Marrone, and I threw him out of the huddle, and I said ‘I got him!’ and I looked at Nicks and I was gonna kind of help him up and be like ‘Come on big fella, let’s go’ and Nicks just kinda stood up, like bowed his chest out, looked at me and said ‘Man nobody’s ever gonna touch you, you got my back boy I got you.'”

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This is one of those fun stories to tell in hindsight, and with Marrone leaving after that 2008 season to pursue the opportunity to be the Syracuse head coach, it makes it all that much funnier. It makes sense, though, as Brees was the type to build connections with everyone he played with, which was a huge group given how long his career ended up going on.

Being able to forge a bond with so many people, and showcasing to them that he truly cared about their well-being and wanted them to succeed, is something that means a lot and no doubt contributed to his long-term success. It is also likely part of why Nicks did such an exceptional job protecting Brees over the next few years.