The Extra Point: Drew Brees on What Life is Like After Football
A lot of Alabama fans have a soft spot for Drew Beers, and not just because he was the starting quarterback for one of the three NFL teams within easy driving range of Tuscaloosa.
He's also part of the equation that led to Nick Saban leaving the Miami Dolphins for the Crimson Tide in 2007.
A year previous, Brees was coming off shoulder surgery and the San Diego Chargers were ready to have Philip Rivers take over as the starting quarterback.
Saban wanted the free agent in Miami, but the Dolphins' medical staff wouldn't clear him. So the Dolphins signed Daunte Culpepper.
Brees signed with the Saints, won a Super Bowl and became the NFL's all-time leader in pass completions, completion percentage, and regular season passing yards, an is second in career touchdown passes and pass attempts.
Saban refers to it, or at least gets asked about it, about once a year, including right before the 2020 NFL Draft when the Dolphins were considering taking Tua Tagovailoa.
“Our first choice was to take Drew Brees," he said. "The medical people made that decision relative to Drew Brees’ shoulder, his situation, it was his throwing arm and all that. That was a medical decision, it was not an organizational decision. You know, we wanted to take Drew Brees, he’s the first guy that we brought in, he’s the first guy that we made a deal with. But it was a medical issue that created that."
He later added: “I think it’s the same scenario. If you pass on a guy, he has a chance to be one of the great players in the history of the NFL, in my opinion.”
Of course, the Dolphins did take Tagovailoa. We can only speculate what might have happened had Saban and Brees worked together.
Brees, who recently announced his retirement, talked with SI host Ashley Nicole Moss on his life after football, the future of the game, and whether or not Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill are up to the challenge to be the next starting quarterback for New Orleans.
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The Extra Point is a new regular weekday feature on BamaCentral+, that will often include video and other elements from our FanNation parters. Other recent segments include:
The Eagles are Rising with DeVonta Smith
Why Didn't the Raiders Trade Down and Take Alex Leatherwood?
Why Jaylen Waddle Went Sixth in the Draft, Ahead of DeVonta Smith
