New details reveal Drew Brees seriously considered an NFL comeback with the Denver Broncos for last season’s AFC Championship Game after Bo Nix’s ankle injury.
The Denver Broncos’ run to last season’s AFC Championship Game came with a stunning subplot that only just came to light: Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees quietly considered coming out of retirement to lead the team against the New England Patriots.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Broncos assistant coaches reached out to Brees about a potential return after starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle during Denver’s overtime playoff win over the Buffalo Bills. With the Broncos suddenly needing answers at quarterback just days before the biggest game of their season, two familiar voices picked up the phone.
How the Idea Started
The push came from offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael — both longtime Brees confidants from their years together with the New Orleans Saints. Brees had turned 47 only two days before Nix went down, and he hadn’t played a snap since January 2020. Still, according to the report, he didn’t dismiss the idea outright. Instead, Brees told his former coaches he wanted to work out first to gauge how his body would respond before making any decision.
Ultimately, the comeback never materialized. Discomfort in his wrist during workouts effectively closed the door on a return, and the Broncos moved forward with backup Jarrett Stidham under center for the AFC Championship Game, a 10-7 home loss to the Patriots that ended Denver’s season.
Sean Payton Was Left in the Dark
Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising detail is that head coach Sean Payton reportedly had no idea the conversations with Brees were even happening. Payton, who coached Brees for 15 seasons in New Orleans and helped deliver a Super Bowl title in 2010, said he only learned about the discussions after the fact.
“I just know I was the odd man out. I never heard anything about it,” Payton said when asked about the situation following Denver’s Week 2 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this season.
Had Brees given the green light, one Broncos source indicated the team would have signed him without hesitation, viewing him as a legitimate option to start or split time with Stidham heading into the conference title game.
A Fitting Footnote to a Hall of Fame Career
The revelation adds an interesting wrinkle to Brees’ legacy. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past summer after totaling more than 80,000 passing yards and 571 touchdown passes over his career — both figures ranking second all-time. A comeback, however brief, would have also complicated his Hall of Fame eligibility timeline, similar to what played out when Philip Rivers briefly returned to the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts last season.
In the end, Brees chose to let his career end the way it already had, and this fall he took his place in Canton instead of back under center.
What It Means for the Broncos Now
Nine months later, Denver enters this season with Nix healthy and a new offensive play-caller in place. The near-miss with Brees serves as a reminder of just how close the Broncos came to an entirely different postseason storyline — and how thin the margin can be between a Super Bowl run and a heartbreaking three-point loss.
Whether or not Brees would have made a difference against New England will always be speculation. But the fact that Denver’s coaching staff was willing to explore signing a 47-year-old Hall of Famer says plenty about how much they believed was still in play last January.
What do you think — should the Broncos have pursued Brees harder, or was Stidham always the right call? Let us know in the comments below.
