New Orleans Saints
Greatest Player: Drew Brees
The perfectly named Drew Brees makes everything about being a quarterback seem so easy, just like a cool wind sorely needed during the hottest part of the day. Until Brees came along, the Saints were one of those franchises you thought of as having a legacy of cruddy quarterbacks, as New Orleans’ all-time greatest quarterback had been either Archie Manning or Bobby Hebert, slim pickings there.
Brees has set an incredible standard that any future Saints quarterback may find impossible to challenge, let alone achieve, such as 74,437 yards and 520 touchdowns (versus only 233 picks) and counting. Brees has obviously thrived in the offensive system devised by Saints’ coach Sean Payton, and despite not having the same physical tools as many quarterbacks on this list.
New Orleans Saints
Runner Up: Willie Roaf
In today’s NFL, it’s increasingly difficult to find quality offensive linemen, especially ones that can played at a high level for over a decade. And that’s exactly what made Willie Roaf so special. Roaf made the Pro Bowl in 11 of his 13 seasons and started all 189 games of his career.
Despite being lightly recruited coming out of high school, Roaf made a name for himself at Louisiana Tech, so the fact that he was able to work his way into being a top-10 draft pick is impressive. Even more impressive is his presence on two different All-Decade Teams, showing just how dominant of a lineman he was throughout his career.
New Orleans Saints
Challenger: Michael Thomas
Michael Thomas burst onto the NFL scene in a hurry, setting the NFL record for most receptions in his first three seasons. After leading the NFL in catches in 2018, when he also led the league in catches in 2018, haulied in 125 passes while also amassing 1,405 yards, he followed it up in 2019 with a virtuoso performance, amassing an NFL-record 149 receptions for 1,725 yards.
In other words, 2019 became the year that Thomas officially claimed the title of “best wide receiver on the planet.”