Saban Shares More Details About Ill-Fated Pursuit of Drew Brees

Former Miami Dolphins coach Nick Saban recently shared more details surrounding the botched pursuit of then-free agent Drew Brees in the 2006 offseason and the decision that left the team still searching for a franchise quarterback.

The Dolphins eventually passed on Brees because of a shoulder injury he sustained in the 2005 season finale with the San Diego Chargers before he went on to a long and successful career with the New Orleans Saints that likely will land him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Saban appeared on The Pivot Podcast and discussed Brees failing the Dolphins physical and the team passing on the Pro Bowl quarterback. He also said Brees' agent asked the Dolphins not to say anything about the failed physical as it would serve as a detriment to Brees getting another job in the NFL. Saban agreed to withhold the information for 72 hours.

The Dolphins would ultimately obtain Daunte Culpepper through a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. Culpepper was coming off of knee surgery of his own, but while Brees would go on and practice magic in New Orleans under new coach Sean Payton, Culpepper would fade into the abyss, lasting only four games with the Dolphins in 2005.

SABAN VISITED WITH BREES' SURGEON

“He was [in Miami]. He was all set,” Saban said. “The last thing before you sign a contract, you go get a physical. So I’m like, ‘This is all done.’ Then, they call me on the phone and say, ‘We don’t think he could play.’ But Dr. (James) Andrews in Birmingham did his surgery, and also did it on Culpepper. He did it on both guys. I flew to see him, because I wanted — before we ever got went down this road, to see what his thoughts were. I had a lot of respect for him. He’s an LSU guy, and I’ve known him for years. So I flew up there and talked to him and he said, ‘Drew Brees will be fine.’ He said, ‘Daunte is going to have a hard time, because, you know, he needs his mobility to be an effective quarterback, and I don’t know if he’ll ever fully get it back,’ you know, because his knee was so messed up."

So, Saban knew Culpepper had bad knees and was told Brees was going to be fine. He heard it from the doctor who performed the surgery. It was a doctor Saban respected.

“So, I’m saying, ‘Let’s go get Drew Brees.’ He’s a free agent," Saban said. "We’ve got to trade for Daunte. Better deal to take the free agent and still keep your second round pick. They failed him on the physical, and they called me on the phone. Well, you know, you can’t call up the owner and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to sign this guy and give him all this money,’ you guys probably know how much it was, and he might not be able to play, right? So, I didn’t want to get in that briar-patch with the owner.

"I just said, ‘OK,’ but I actually regretted it, because that year Drew Brees plays lights out for New Orleans."

FAILED PHYSICAL WITHHELD FROM THE REST OF THE LEAGUE

Saban then opened up about his secret compact with Brees' agent.

“Now, the other part about that is — I actually had to call his agent and say we had a deal, but he didn’t pass the physical," Saban said. "He said, ‘Oh man, Nick. You can’t tell people he didn’t pass the physical. I’ll never get him signed any place.’ I said, ‘Nobody will know, how much time do you need?’ He said, ’72 hours.’ I never told anybody. Nobody knew for 72 hours, until he signed in New Orleans.”

Saban would last only two seasons with the Dolphins. He went 9-7 his first season and then fell to 6-10 in 2006. He would then leave for a fairy tale career at the University of Alabama where he would win six national championships. Saban would retire from coaching after the 2023 season.