The New Orleans Saints announced Thursday that legendary quarterback and Super Bowl XLIV Most Valuable Player Drew Brees will be inducted to the team Hall of Fame in 2024, teeing up one of the easier decisions that voters will have had to agree upon.
Now comes the hard part: choosing when to celebrate Brees’ induction. The Saints traditionally schedule festivities around an upcoming home game, and they have nine dates to choose from in 2024. Obviously Brees being the center of attention carries more weight than in other years. Choosing the right date might be tricky.
And there’s one tempting complication. Brees’ old coach Sean Payton is visiting the Saints with his new Denver Broncos team in Week 7 this fall. Payton addressed the news of Brees’ selection after Broncos practice on Thursday.
“So the Saints have a private group that do their own little Hall of Fame, it’s a great thing. It’s separate from the Ring of Honor. And when I called back today someone was telling me that he was going in. I don’t know which game will be the game that (he’s inducted), but hey, maybe (it’s us),” Payton grinned.
It would make a ton of sense for Brees to be formally inducted to the Saints Hall of Fame during Oct. 17’s prime-time game against Payton’s Broncos; the matchup is already being broadcast nationally on Amazon Prime Video under the Thursday Night Football spotlight, and having Payton on hand as the coach who Brees accomplished so much with would be a nice touch. You just have to wonder whether the team might feel Payton’s return to New Orleans could be too great a distraction on top of everything else surrounding Brees’ induction and the emotionally-charged game itself.
Still, it’s a very tempting opportunity to get the gang back together, at least for one night. We’ll see what the Saints are cooking up when they announce plans for Brees’ induction ceremony later this year.
