Drew Brees left the Los Angeles Chargers as a free agent in 2006, joined the New Orleans Saints, and embarked on an incredible 15-year stint with the franchise.

Sean Payton has twice tried to hire ex-linebacker Rob Ninkovich as a coach, once with the Saints and once with the Broncos.

Former Saints head coach Sean Payton took to social media Wednesday to challenge legendary former Alabama head coach Nick Saban on his recollection of how Drew Brees ended up in New Orleans in 2006. Nineteen years ago, Saban was entering his second campaign as the head coach of the Dolphins following a 9-7 season.

Just four teams have drafted fewer players than the Saints since they promoted Mickey Loomis to GM. Years of trade gambles haven’t paid off:

They signed safety Brandon Jones, defensive lineman Malcolm Roach and inside linebacker Cody Barton to modest deals. During the NFL draft, they traded a future sixth-round pick for John Franklin-Myers and quickly signed him to a reworked, two-year deal worth $15 million.

The other finalists for the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award are Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, New York Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson are finalists for The Associated Press 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player award. Barkley, Burrow and Jackson also are finalists for Offensive Player of the Year and Burrow is also in the running for Comeback Player of the Year.

But things aren’t as quiet for a few of the Chargers’ rivals. Notably, one of those is the Las Vegas Raiders, an AFC West team that momentarily had rumblings around Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as it searches for a head coach.

The Chicago Bears have hired Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to right the ship of their ailing franchise, and early reports suggest they're paying him a pretty penny to do so.Per Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio,

Oct 5, 2024; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) runs ball while defended by Texas Tech Red Raiders defender Macho Stevenson (12) during second quarter at Arizona Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

A source said Friday the Denver head coach fired special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica after two seasons.

Jerry Jones has lined up his next head coach interview. The latest name Jones is looking at as a potential replacement for Mike McCarthy shouldn’t be a surprise to Dallas Cowboys fans.