The Six Degrees of Drew Brees

This Sunday, Drew Brees will be playing the team that drafted him for the first time in San Diego. What we didn’t know back in 2006 was that his move to New Orleans would have longterm impacts on multiple NFL franchises and one college football program.

It’s a bit strange to see future Hall of Fame Quarterback Drew Brees in a Chargers uniform, but that is indeed where he began his career as a second round pick. In fact, his success is quite the story when you take everything into consideration. The Chargers were ready to replace him, but a holdout gave him one last chance to prove himself. He did that. He was never supposed to be the same again after a freakish shoulder injury. He ended up being better than ever. The Saints were never supposed to win a Super Bowl. Brees led them to the promised land. Whats’ truly interesting is that if any of these things change, the landscape of the NFL likely shifts along with it. Let me show you what I mean.

San Diego Chargers

The team that originally drafted Brees was ready to replace him after an inconsistent start to his career. The plan was originally to draft Eli Manning, but the Manning family wanted nothing to do with the organization. So instead they brought in Philip Rivers via a draft day trade. Brees’ days were numbered until Rivers followed a long standing tradition of Chargers holdouts. Brees took the opportunity and ran. With LanDanian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates, Brees helped lead the Chargers to the Playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. Would any of that even have happened had Rivers’ gotten to camp on time instead of holding out?

The following season, Brees entered the final season of his contract with San Diego. The Chargers managed to finish 9-7, but missed the playoffs. What no one could’ve foreseen is what happened in Week 17 against the Broncos. Future Hall of Fame Safety John Lynch blitzed and delivered a hit that injured Brees’ shoulder. The injury left Brees’ career in question. Many thought he’d never be the same again. The Chargers had a young first round pick just sitting on the bench. So they made the decision to go with Rivers for the future. How would things have changed if Brees never hurt his shoulder? Do the Chargers keep him and trade Rivers? Do the Hall of Fame trio of Brees, Tomlinson and Gates deliver a championship to San Diego?

Brees’ shoulder injury also made an impact on another franchise…

Miami Dolphins

Ever since Dan Marino retired in 1999, the Dolphins have tried and failed to find a franchise quarterback. Names include the likes of Jay Fiedler, A.J. Feely, Gus Frerotte, Dante Culpepper, Joey Harrington, Cleo Lemon, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Matt Moore and current starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Well back in 2006, Miami was coming off of a 9-7 season led by their Head Coach Nick Saban. Miami needed a game changing acquisition at QB to put them into serious contention in a AFC East dominated by the Patriots. Miami saw Brees as the answer, but doctors were skeptical if his shoulder was worth the risk. So they went in another direction and made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for Dante Culpepper. New Orleans would step in and sign Brees themselves and the rest was history.

So how would history have changed had Miami signed Brees? It may have had quite the impact in their coach at the time as well…

University of Alabama and Nick Saban

It didn’t take long for the Miami Dolphins organization to sink after they made their decision at Quarterback. Culpepper ended up on injured reserve and Miami went 6-10. At the same time, the University of Alabama had an opening at Head Coach and their program was probably at it’s lowest of lows. Despite saying over and over again he wasn’t interested in the job, Saban took the job at Alabama and transformed them into the college football dynasty we see today. But you have to wonder if Saban would have been so eager to depart from Miami had they signed Brees instead of trading for Culpepper. In any event, Alabama came out ahead as a winner in the situation along with one other team.

New Orleans Saints

Do you remember what the New Orleans Saints were before Drew Brees? They were an inept franchise of Cleveland Browns proportions. Their fans wore bags over their heads and referred to themselves as the Aints. Basically, they were a joke and an embarrassment. Furthermore, the New Orleans area was healing after the events of Hurricane Katrina. On the field and off, they couldn’t have been any lower. Brees put them on the map. He helped heal a community and fix one of the most dysfunctional organizations in NFL history. The story wasn’t supposed to end this way. Brees was never supposed to throw another pass. The Lombardi Trophy was never supposed to be paraded down Bourbon Street. The Saints winning the Super Bowl was supposed to be as unlikely as the Lions or Browns winning one. But Drew Brees made all of that possible and all it took was a crazy turn of events a decade ago.