The move seemed to motivate Brees, who threw for a combined 6,735 yards and 51 touchdowns during the past two seasons in leading San Diego to 20 victories and a playoff appearance in 2004.

He injured himself during the last game of the 2005 season. Yet Saints coach Sean Payton, a former college quarterback with a very brief pro career in Canada and as a replacement player in the NFL, made up his mind that Brees was a proven winner who could be trusted to rehabilitate intelligently and be effective by fall.

He noted Brees’ 16-0 record in high school, his success making Purdue a Big Ten contender and recent success in San Diego.

“Those aren’t by accident. That track record at this position is, I think, critical in the evaluation process,” Payton said. “He’s a player that makes great decisions. He’s a high-character person. He’s everything you look for at the quarterback position.”

General manager Mickey Loomis declined to rule out using the Saints’ No. 2 overall pick in the draft on a quarterback but added, “Obviously, we’ve got our quarterback right here.”

“I don’t want to take anything out of play,” Loomis said. “It definitely gives us a flexibility that we don’t have to take a quarterback.”

Loomis said the Saints hope to fill most of their needs through free agency and then take the best player available in the draft, which was what they did with the selection Deuce McAllister, even though Ricky Williams was already on the roster and coming off a strong second season in the league.

Brees said he ultimately leaned toward New Orleans because he sensed the Saints wanted him more than the Miami Dolphins, who also courted him before trading for Daunte Culpepper.

Brees also wanted to play close to his home state of Texas, in a region that he knows appreciates football like no other sport, and in a city where he might have a chance to leave a legacy even more meaningful than winning football games.

He spoke of his recent tour with team officials through New Orleans, much of which was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, but much of which is also rebuilding and functioning again.

“You still see the city is very alive and you’ve got a lot of great citizens of New Orleans committed to rebuilding this city that are just so excited about Saints football,” Brees said. “In times of tragedy, in times like this, people look to whatever they can to try to lift their spirits and I think for a lot of people that is Saints football. ... What a great opportunity it was for me to be here as quarterback, but not only that, but as a person in this community.”

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