Saints Legend Drew Brees One Step From NFL Glory

The vibes around the New Orleans Saints are very high right now.

New Orleans seemingly has found the long-term quarterback of the future in Tyler Shough, has won four games in a row, and team legend Drew Brees is one step away from National Football League immortality.

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Brees is one of the very best quarterbacks in NFL history. That much is obvious. On Tuesday, he took one more step towards the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 15 modern-era finalists for the Class of 2026 were announced on Tuesday and Brees was included in the list, along with former Saints guard Jahri Evans.

The Saints legends are on the doorstep

Oct 5, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees smiles prior to the game against the New York Giants at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"Fifteen former standouts in the National Football League have reached the doorstep of enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame with the announcement Tuesday morning of the Finalists in the Modern-Era Players category for the Class of 2026 presented by Visual Edge IT," the Hall of Fame announced. "Included on the list are four players — Willie Anderson, Torry Holt, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri — who advanced to this stage automatically due to each candidate reaching the Final 7 for election with the Class of 2025. Joining them are six other Finalists from a year ago, four first-year eligible candidates and one player in his sixth year of eligibility who is a Finalist for the first time...

"The Modern-Era Players, along with their positions, years and teams are: Willie Anderson, Tackle — 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens, Drew Brees, Quarterback — 2001-05 San Diego Chargers, 2006-2020 New Orleans Saints, Jahri Evans, Guard — 2006-2016 New Orleans Saints, 2017 Green Bay Packers..."

Brees is one of two quarterbacks who made the list of finalists this year, along with former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Evans is one of two guards, along with Marshal Yanda, who had playing time at guard and tackle for the Baltimore Ravens.

Fans will have to wait until Feb. 5 to find out if either former Saint is inducted in the Class of 2026.

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