Drew Brees Broncos Report: Why the Comeback Couldn’t Happen
ESPN and Reuters report that Denver assistants Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael discussed a stunning emergency plan with Drew Brees after Bo Nix broke his ankle: bring the retired Hall of Fame quarterback back for the 2025 AFC Championship Game. Brees considered it, tested his arm and ultimately declined because of wrist discomfort.
That is only half the answer. Separate reporting says Brees remained on the New Orleans Saints’ reserve-retired list and that the league’s deadline for a retired player to return had already passed. Even if his wrist had cooperated, Denver may not have had a legal roster path to put him on the field against New England.
The story arrived hours before Denver’s difficult 2026 opener, a 31–10 loss covered in Football Nation’s Chiefs–Broncos recap. It does not change that result, but it reveals how urgently the Broncos searched for an answer when Nix went down last January.
What reportedly happened
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Lombardi and Carmichael contacted Brees after Nix fractured his ankle late in Denver’s overtime divisional-round victory over Buffalo. The two assistants had worked with Brees during his long run with Sean Payton in New Orleans, giving the idea a football connection even if it sounded extraordinary.
Brees did not dismiss the approach immediately. The reporting says he threw to evaluate whether his body could handle an NFL return. Wrist discomfort ended the experiment before Denver reached a signing decision. Payton reportedly did not know about the conversations at the time and learned of them during the offseason.
The eligibility problem changes the story
NBC Sports’ ProFootballTalk reported that Brees was still on the Saints’ reserve-retired list. Under the rule described in that report, a retired player had to return by the Tuesday after Week 13. The AFC Championship discussions occurred well after that deadline.
The report also says New Orleans would have needed to release Brees from the reserve-retired list, after which he would have been exposed to waivers. Those facts make the popular version of the story—Brees could have signed and started if only his wrist felt better—far less certain.
There is another unresolved issue. If Denver personnel contacted a player whose rights remained with New Orleans without the Saints’ permission, the league could examine whether that contact violated tampering rules. No league investigation or discipline has been announced, so Football Nation is not labeling the conversations a proven violation.
Question | Verified or reported answer |
|---|---|
Who discussed the plan? | ESPN reports Broncos assistants Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael spoke with Brees. |
Why did Brees stop? | He reportedly felt wrist discomfort during his throwing test. |
What was the roster obstacle? | PFT reports Brees remained on the Saints’ reserve-retired list after the return deadline. |
Who actually started? | Jarrett Stidham started the AFC Championship Game. |
What happened? | New England beat Denver 10–7. |
Why Denver considered Brees
The appeal was obvious. Brees spent 15 seasons directing Payton’s offense in New Orleans, won Super Bowl XLIV and retired with 80,358 passing yards and 571 touchdown passes. Familiarity could have reduced the installation burden for a one-game emergency compared with adding a quarterback who had never operated the system.
But familiarity is not game readiness. Brees had not taken an NFL snap since January 2021. The Broncos would have asked a 47-year-old quarterback with wrist and shoulder limitations to prepare in days for a cold championship game against an elite defense. The physical and eligibility obstacles were not minor details; they were the central problem.
Brees’ Hall of Fame status adds another layer. Football Nation’s Hall of Fame voting explainer covers the selection system, while his Saints legacy remains visible in the franchise context surrounding the Lions–Saints Week 1 recap and the earlier Saints–Lions preview.
What it says about the Broncos
Denver’s willingness to explore such an extreme option underscores how devastating Nix’s injury was. Stidham ultimately started and the Broncos lost 10–7 to New England. That close score guarantees the alternative will remain a compelling what-if, but it does not prove Brees would have produced a better result.
The Patriots’ defense from that playoff run is part of the backdrop to Football Nation’s more recent Seahawks–Patriots recap. Denver’s present-day offensive questions are covered in the Broncos–Chiefs prop results. Neither current article should be confused with the historical roster problem at the center of the Brees report.
The next factual checkpoint
The NFL, Broncos and Saints have not announced an investigation or supplied an official account of the eligibility discussion. The next meaningful checkpoint is any response from the league or either club about Brees’ contractual rights, the return deadline or whether New Orleans authorized the contact.
Until then, two facts can coexist: Denver assistants reportedly explored the most dramatic emergency-quarterback plan imaginable, and the plan may never have been legally executable. Brees’ wrist stopped the process before those questions had to be resolved.
Football Nation verdict
Treat this as a real reported conversation, not a missed signing. The headline-grabbing version asks whether Brees could have beaten New England. The more useful conclusion is that Denver’s emergency planning reached a Hall of Famer whose body and roster status both stood in the way. Unless the league or teams produce new evidence, the responsible answer is that Brees seriously considered the idea—but was never one clean physical away from taking the field.
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