Brees Asks Payton to Introduce Him at HOF, Tears Flow

In a week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be inducted into the NFL's Hall of Fame. The ceremonies begin at 11:00 a.m. CDT on Saturday, August 8 at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio.

When an athlete is inducted, it is customary for him to be introduced, usually by someone who is very special in their career. In this case, Brees chose his former Saints coach, now the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Sean Payton, and when Brees asked Payton, things got emotional.

"I can't believe you just did that" 🥹@DrewBrees asks @SeanPayton to present him at the @ProFootballHOF

🎥: @GregBensel pic.twitter.com/GKJniyiJLj
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) July 30, 2026

The class of 2026 inductees include Brees, former San Francisco 49er running back Roger Craig, ex-Cardinal wide out Larry Fitzgerald, cerebral Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, and Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Brees holds just about every Saints quarterback record you can shake a stick at (taking a deep breath before listing all of them off):
- Passing Yards: 68,010 yards (next closest is Archie Manning with 21,734)
- Touchdown Passes: 491 touchdowns
- Pass Completions: 6,017 completions out of 8,742 attempts
- Completion Percentage: 68.8% accuracy as a Saint
- 300-Yard Games: 116 games with at least 300 passing yards
- Wins as a Starter: 142 regular-season wins (151 total including playoffs), making him the winningest quarterback in franchise history
- Single-Game Touchdowns: Tied the NFL record with 7 touchdown passes in a single game (against the New York Giants on November 1, 2015)
- Single-Game Completion Percentage: Set a then-NFL record 96.7% completion mark (29 of 30) against the Indianapolis Colts on December 16, 2019

And then, there are the NFL records:
- Consecutive games with a touchdown pass: 54 games (surpassing Johnny Unitas' old record)
- Most 5,000-yard passing seasons: 5 seasons (no other player has more than two)
- Most seasons leading the league in passing yards: 7 seasons
- Consecutive seasons with at least 30 touchdown passes: 9 seasons
- Highest single-game completion percentage (min. 20 attempts): 96.7% (29-of-30 against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec 16, 2019)
- Most consecutive games with 20+ completions: 61 games
- Most games with 30+ completions: 63 games

Even before Brees retired in 2021, everyone from NFL experts to Atlanta Falcons fans knew he would be a Hall of Famer the very first time he was eligible. His 20-year career propelled him to that honor.

Add us as a preferred source on Google