Eric Brady was one of twins born to Roman and Marlena Brady. He and his sister were extremely close as children, and were sent together to Colorado shortly after starting school. Although Sami returned to Salem during high-school, Eric was well out of school by the time he finally came home, when John and Marlena became officially involved because Eric believed that his parents (Roman and Marlena) belonged together. He also believed that his amnesiac sister Sami was faking her memory loss. With Carrie and Mike, Eric tried to find out what Sami's big secret was, and on the day that Sami was set to marry Austin, they realized that Will could not possibly be Austin's son, and that Sami knew. Carrie rushed to the Church to stop the wedding and to humiliate her sister. Although Eric felt horribly guilty for the role he had played in his sister's pain, Sami soon forgave him, because she realized he didn't do it to hurt her.

Not long after, Eric realized that someone was following him everywhere. It turned out to be an old schoolmate, Jed Fox. Eric had initially been accused of date rape when Jed was really the rapist, and lost his position in school as a result. Jed threatened to kill Sami if Eric didn't say it was really him, but Eric was able to convince Jed to accept his crimes and move on. Shortly thereafter, he met Nicole Walker, a waitress at the Java Café. When he started working at Countess Wilhelmina as a photographer, he thought she would make the perfect model. The two became romantically entangled, although their relationship was strained when Nicole's past started cropping up. When Eric had to focus all his attentions on Sami's upcoming trial for murdering Franco Kelly, Nicole got involved with Lucas, and Eric got involved with an older woman, Greta Von Amberg. Nicole and Eric were finished when Eric learned that Nicole had married Lucas Roberts.

Eric was then free to focus all of his concerns on Sami's trial. Sami had escaped and gone on the run, but after being recaptured by the police, she was sent back to prison to await lethal injection. Just as the injections were being given (as a shocked Eric looked on), Lucas burst in to take the blame, but later recanted when Roberto Barelli also confessed. Although Greta and Eric were spending a lot of time together, he couldn't keep Nicole out of his mind. He began sleeping with her again, and when Greta realized Eric still loved her, she broke things off. After having a near-fatal accident at a railway crossing and a heavenly trial with Isabella Toscano Black as his counsel, Eric decided to leave Salem. Before he left though, he told Nicole he would always love her.

Since leaving, Eric sent a letter to town when Roman was presumed dead (he was later found alive) remembering some of the good times. Marlena also made several trips to Colorado to visit Eric.