Nick Saban admits he "regretted" not signing Drew Bress during Miami stint

Nick Saban is one of the most successful head coaches in the history of college football. He won a National Championship in 2003 with LSU, but he is most known for winning six championships with the Alabama Crimson Tide during his tenure from 2007 to 2023.

However, many are unaware that between his tenures with LSU and Alabama, Saban briefly coached the NFL's Miami Dolphins in 2005 and 2006. In an appearance on "The Pivot Podcast" on Tuesday, Saban reflected on his time with the Dolphins.

Notably, he talked about how he almost was able to sign legendary quarterback Drew Brees after he was let go from the San Diego Chargers in 2006. However, the Dolphins opted to sign Daunte Culpepper instead after Brees failed a physical.

Brees took his talents to New Orleans and had an incredibly successful career that could earn him an induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the near future.

"He was in Miami. He was all set," Saban said. "The last thing before you sign a contract, you go get a physical. So I’m like, 'This is all done.' Then, they call me on the phone and say, 'We don’t think he could play.' They failed him on the physical, and they called me on the phone."

"Well, you know, you can’t call up the owner and say, 'Hey, we’re going to sign this guy and give him all this money,' you guys probably know how much it was, and he might not be able to play, right? So, I didn’t want to get in that briar-patch with the owner. I just said, 'Okay,' but I actually regretted it, because that year Drew Brees plays lights out for New Orleans."

Nick Saban talks about calling Drew Brees' agent after he failed the physical

Nick Saban also revealed that he called Drew Brees' agent after he failed the physical to tell him. Saban kept his mouth shut until Brees was signed by the Saints.

"Now, the other part about that is, I actually had to call his agent and say we had a deal, but he didn’t pass the physical," Saban said. "He said, 'Oh man, Nick. You can’t tell people he didn’t pass the physical. I’ll never get him signed any place.'

"I said, 'Nobody will know, how much time do you need?' He said, '72 hours.' I never told anybody. Nobody knew for 72 hours, until he signed in New Orleans."

Drew Brees went on to be the starting quarterback for the Saints from 2006 to 2020.