NFL Hall of Famer who made $270m in legendary career exploring record-breaking bid for MLB team

Feb 28, 2026 - 13:30

Drew Brees won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, but his Hall of Fame career began in San Diego.

The NFL legend, regarded as one of the best quarterbacks of his generation, was drafted by the Chargers in 2001.

Quarterback Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints after the Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts during Super Bowl XLIV on February 7, 2010 — Brees was a legend in New Orleans, but his NFL career began in California

He played five seasons in California, where he went to the Pro Bowl and was also named the league’s Comeback Player of the Year, before moving to the ‘Big Easy’ in 2006.

Brees went on to dominate on the football field in the years that followed, and was a seven-time passing yards leader who was named Super Bowl XLIV MVP as he led the Saints to their one and only Lombardi Trophy.

Now retired with a bust in Canton, the NFL icon might soon be returning to where it all began in San Diego — albeit in a different sporting capacity.

Drew Brees interested in buying MLB franchise

The San Diego Padres are up for sale, and the process is said to be escalating quickly.

According to Front Office Sports (FOS) the MLB team, which was put on the market by the Seidler family last November, could set a record sale price.

Steve Cohen’s 2020 purchase of the New York Mets, worth a massive $2.4 billion, is the current league record.

FOS reports it’s ‘quite likely’ the Padres deal will surpass that — and that five parties are interested in the team.

Four of the potential bidders were revealed on Friday.

Brees, who made around $270 million in his NFL career, has been named in a group with Vuori CEO Joe Kudla.

Joe Lacob, who owns the NBA‘s Golden State Warriors and WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries, is said to be in the running against them.

The Padres are up for sale and could fetch a record sum

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Drew Brees #9 of the San Diego Chargers in action during a game against the Miami Dolphins on December 11, 2005 at Qualcomm Stadium — Brees began his career in San Diego and is one of five parties interested in the team

Dan Friedkin, who is the principal owner of two soccer clubs, AS Roma and Everton, was also named by FOS.

The fourth person named in the FOS report was Jose E. Feliciano, who is the co-owner of Premier League club Chelsea, and the founding partner of Clearlake Capital.

Padres could set MLB record sale

The $270m that Brees made during his career is dwarfed by the net worth of those other potential bidders.

Lacob is worth $2.3bn, according to Forbes, which lists Friedkin’s figure at $11.bn, and Feliciano’s worth at $3.9bn.

Luckily, Brees is in with Kudla, whose athleisure brand Vuori is valued at a massive $5.5bn.

With so much money potentially on the table, the Padres could sell for a record sum, with factors driving up the price said to include the overall scarcity of available MLB franchises, increases in attendance and viewership, and a rising global fandom.

A detailed view of two San Diego Padres batting helmets and a baseball sitting in the dugout during the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on July 25, 2022 — A sale of the Padres is expected to top the 2020 sale of the Mets

A general view of the outside of the stadium before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 — Growing attendances and global fandom is driving up the price of the team

San Diego had an overall attendance of 3.43 million in 2025, ranking second in the MLB behind only the World Series winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We’ve had tremendous interest,” Padres chairman John Seidler said of the sale.

Brees, who began his NFL career in ‘America’s Finest City,’ could soon make a triumphant return as the newest owner in baseball.

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