Drew Brees says Nick Saban and Dolphins didn’t have confidence in his health before joining Saints

The ultimate butter fly effect in college football history is what would have happened at Alabama if Nick Saban was able to convince the Miami Dolphins to sign Drew Brees.

Saban has been adamant over the years that he made an effort to bring in the then former San Diego Chargers quarterback who was coming off a major shoulder injury.

Not having control over who receives an offer to join a team was one reason that ultimately pushed Saban to return to the college ranks.

But what was Drew Brees’ side of the story?

Well, Brees was able to detail the full story from nearly two decades ago during an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show.

“I’m coming off of the major shoulder injury, not sure if I’m ever going to play football again, but hopeful,” Brees said. “And it’s the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins. On paper, this was the easiest decision in the world. It’s the Miami Dolphins all the way. Nick Saban is the head coach, has done an outstanding job on that defense, one of the best defenses in the league — Zach Thomas, Jason Taylor. Like, they had finished that last season, the previous season, winning seven in a row. Really the only question mark for their team was quarterback.

“They had skill-position guys. Jason Garrett was the quarterback coach. Mike Mularkey was the OC. They were running the same offensive system that I was coming from in San Diego. On my recruiting trip there, we’re eating dinner on Wayne Huizenga’s yacht. And he’s sitting there talking about how every summer we’re going to go to Scotland and play golf ‘me, you and Dan.’ I’m like, ‘Dan?’ They’re like, ‘Yeah, Dan Marino.’ I’m like, oh, so Dan is like my mentor now? You know what I mean? Like, this is the greatest thing ever, you know? State of Florida, no state income tax. I’m like, I mean, this is a no-brainer, right?”

While Brees was visiting the Dolphins, he was put through an intensive health exam by the staff who were evaluating if he would even be able to play football again. And that’s where things went south for Brees and the franchise.

“But also on that trip, they put me through, like, this rigorous health inspection basically, like, six hours of testing – contrast, MRI tube, you know, where I’m in the MRI, literally, for two hours,” Brees said. “And they’re trying to assess just the damage that was done to my shoulder and the chances of me being able to come back and be the same. I remember sticking these big needles in my arm to test my nerve endings. I mean, it was nuts.

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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77

Patrick Dowd

Patrick Dowd