Drew Brees nearly came out of retirement to lead the Broncos in the AFC title game, but a wrist issue ended the stunning comeback plan.
The Denver Broncos were much closer to an extraordinary quarterback reunion than anyone realized.
After Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle fracture during Denver’s divisional-round victory over the Buffalo Bills, Broncos assistants reportedly explored an almost unthinkable option: bringing 47-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees out of retirement for the AFC Championship Game.
The plan never reached the field. Brees tested his body in a private throwing session but experienced discomfort in his wrist, ultimately ending the possibility of one of the most remarkable NFL comebacks imaginable.
Broncos quietly explored Drew Brees
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, former Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael reached out to Brees after Nix’s injury.
The connection was obvious. Lombardi and Carmichael had worked with Brees during his legendary years with the New Orleans Saints, where Brees and head coach Sean Payton helped build one of the NFL’s most successful offensive partnerships.
What made the situation even more unusual was that Payton reportedly did not know about the initial discussions.
Payton eventually learned about the idea during the offseason and was reportedly both fascinated and stunned that his former quarterback had seriously considered returning.
Brees actually considered the comeback
This was not simply a casual phone call.
Brees reportedly wanted to test whether his body could handle the demands of playing an NFL game after more than five years away from the league. He agreed to a private throwing workout before making a final decision.
The test quickly provided an answer.
Brees experienced discomfort in his throwing wrist, and the comeback idea fell apart. He had retired in 2021 and had not taken an NFL snap since January of that year.
At 47, returning directly into a snowy AFC Championship Game with virtually no preparation would have been an enormous physical challenge.
Denver ultimately turned to Jarrett Stidham
With Brees unavailable, the Broncos went with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham against the New England Patriots.
Stidham completed 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards, one touchdown and one interception as Denver fell 10-7 in a defensive battle.
The Patriots advanced to Super Bowl LX, while Denver was left to wonder whether a different quarterback could have changed the outcome.
That does not mean Brees would have won the game. He had been away from professional football for years, and his own workout showed that his body was no longer cooperating the way it once did.
Still, the possibility alone is remarkable.
A reunion with Sean Payton almost happened
A Brees comeback would also have reunited him with Payton for a game that carried enormous stakes.
The pair spent 15 seasons together in New Orleans and led the Saints to the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship following the 2009 season.
Brees retired as one of the most productive quarterbacks in NFL history, finishing his career with 80,358 passing yards and 571 touchdown passes.
For Broncos fans, the idea of Payton turning to his old quarterback for one final postseason run was almost too perfect to believe.
The Hall of Fame complication
There was another major factor surrounding the potential comeback.
Brees had reached the five-year retirement threshold required for Pro Football Hall of Fame eligibility and was inducted in 2026. Returning to the NFL could have reset that waiting period.
A similar situation occurred with Philip Rivers after he came out of retirement to play for the Indianapolis Colts.
That meant Brees was not merely weighing whether his body could survive one more football game. He potentially would have been putting his carefully completed path to Canton at risk.
Denver’s incredible ‘what if’
The Broncos ultimately lost a game that was close enough to make the Brees story even more intriguing.
A 10-7 defeat left Denver one victory short of the Super Bowl, while Brees’ potential return disappeared because his body could not handle the workload.
There is no way to know whether Brees would have performed better than Stidham or whether Denver would have reached the Super Bowl with him under center.
But the fact that the Broncos seriously considered putting a 47-year-old, recently retired Hall of Famer into an AFC Championship Game shows just how desperate the situation had become.
For a few days, Denver had the chance to create one of the wildest quarterback stories in NFL history.
Instead, the wrist discomfort ended the experiment before it ever reached the field — leaving the Broncos with one enormous question that can never really be answered: What if Drew Brees had been healthy enough to say yes?
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