Under the leadership of Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints were almost a shoe-in to be in the playoffs every year.
Brees starred for the Saints for 15 years (2006-2020) and made it to the playoffs nine times, advancing to the postseason in each of the last four seasons. During that timeframe, the Saints only had five losing seasons (each with 7-9 records).
The Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback — he’ll be inducted this year — retired following the 2020 season and the Saints are still seeking their first postseason berth since his retirement. New Orleans has come close over that time frame, registering a couple nine-win seasons, but they’re now on a streak of five consecutive seasons without a playoff berth.
Heading into the 2026 season there’s optimism that the Saints can break the streak due to the presence of second-year quarterback Tyler Shough. Brees believes New Orleans could very well win the NFC South for the first time since he was there.
“1,000%,” said Brees in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports if the Saints can win the division this year. “I mean the division is wide open. It’s wide open. Even last year it was a three-team race down to the wire. Actually, I guess it was really a four-team race down to the wire. They were all just kind of hovering around .500. Tampa has been kind of the favorite and then Carolina was kind of able to bump them off the top last year. Bryce Young played well. They got three really good receivers, ran the ball well. They got some good young talent on defense. Atlanta has been the one that’s kind of been unpredictable. Michael Penix gets hurt. But they’ve got some weapons on offense, and so we’ll see how he comes back this year.”
Saints Beat Buccaneers With Tyler Shough at Quarterback Last Season
As Brees mentions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been considered the favorite in recent memory. Dating back to the Tom Brady era, the Buccaneers had won four consecutive division titles. However, that streak was broken last year when the Carolina Panthers won the NFC South for the first time since the 2015 season. They did so by virtue of tiebreaker despite losing their season finale to the Buccaneers.
While Brees is aware the Buccaneers have the one proven quarterback in the division in two-time Pro Bowler Baker Mayfield, he said the Saints have proven they can beat Tampa Bay. New Orleans defeated Tampa Bay in Week 14 in one of Shough’s first starts with the rookie quarterback running for 55 yards and two touchdowns in the 24-20 victory.
“Baker Mayfield. I think he’s kind of the one you know real veteran QB in the division. You know, so they kind of they kind of give them the nod as far as just maybe having a bit of the advantage. But look, you know, Saints Saints beat the Bucks. Saints beat the Bucks last year at their place, beat Carolina twice. You know, and so as you as you look at it, it’s it’s pretty wide open.”
We’ll see how the 2026 Saints come out, but it’s pretty clear that it’s a wide-open division with the NFC South not featuring a single team that posted a winning record last season.
Drew Brees Partners With Neffy to Bring Awareness About Severe Allergic Reactions
Leading into the 2026 NFL season, Brees is partnering with Neffy to raise awareness about severe allergic reactions. The role of Epinephrine is the only medication that can stop a severe allergic reaction. Neffy delivers the same epinephrine as an injection, but in a needle-free nasal spray.
“I suffered from severe allergies during my career, and you don’t realize, but over 40 million people deal with this on a daily basis, and it’s really a public health crisis,” said Brees. “Epinephrine is the medication designed to combat a severe allergic reaction, or potentially stop life-threatening anaphylaxis, and that’s why partnering with ARS Pharma was really important. They’re the maker of Neffy epinephrine nasal spray, which is a needle-free epinephrine nasal spray designed to to be applicable to kids 33 pounds or above. It’s designed to be very easy to carry and use. You carry a gym bag, backpack, golf bag, whatever it might be.
“But obviously up until this point, it’s just been injectables, which a lot of people aren’t real comfortable with that at times,” Brees continued. “This being a an epinephrine nasal spray provides a great option. It’s just about the awareness and education and preparedness that that you want to have. There’s a great peace of mind in knowing that you have a great answer in the event of a severe allergic reaction.”
Drew Brees’ Bold 1-Word Statement on Saints’ Playoff Chances This Season