The New Orleans Saints will not play in the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game this summer, multiple sources said Wednesday.
The Saints were considered one of the leading candidates to play in the Aug. 6 game because of Drew Brees’ participation in the enshrinement ceremony later that weekend in Canton, Ohio.
The Hall of Fame and NFL have historically scheduled games between teams with player connections to the enshrinement class that year, and Brees is the headliner of the Class of 2026.
On Wednesday, Hall of Fame officials are expected to announce the matchup of teams for the game, which annually serves as the official kick off of the NFL preseason.
While Saints officials plan to attend the enshrinement ceremony en masse, they were not enthusiastic about playing in the exhibition game because of a potentially travel-heavy preseason schedule, sources said. The team is scheduled to play two of its three preseason games on the road and also hopes to conduct at least one joint practice session against a team in California. The Saints will also play a regular-season game in Paris.
The Saints have played in the Hall of Fame Game five times. Their last appearance was 2012, when they lost 17-10 to the Arizona Cardinals.
Brees became the franchise’s fifth former player to earn induction in to the Hall last month. He is joined in the Class of 2026 by Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly, Adam Vinatieri and Roger Craig. Brees will join Morten Andersen, Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills and Willie Roaf as Saints with their busts enshrined in the Hall.
The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8.
