New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees almost unretired to play with the Denver Broncos after Bo Nix fractured his ankle during the NFL Playoffs earlier this year. After the Denver Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills to enter the AFC Championship, former offensive coordinator Joe Lombari and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael discussed the possibility with Brees. Both coaches worked with Brees while all were with the New Orleans Saints.
Brees heavily considered the opportunity, testing his body to see if he could prepare for the intensity of an NFL game. Through the process, Brees discovered pain in his wrist and decided against unretiring. On an episode of New Heights, hosted by Jason and Travis Kelce, Brees teased listeners about this opportunity, but he did not offer any specifics. This episode was released on February 11th.
Brees retired with the New Orleans Saints in March of 2021. He had been with the organization for 15 seasons, throwing for 68,010 yards and 491 touchdowns. Brees entered the Hall of Fame also this year, cementing his status as one of the all time greats. If Brees unretired for the NFL Playoffs, it remains unknown how the Hall of Fame would have responded.
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees Almost Unretired to Play With the Denver Broncos
Another addition to this story is that former New Orleans Saints and current Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was not involved in this initial conversation. Lombardi and Carmichael first sought to gauge how compelled Brees was about returning to the NFL. Payton learned about the idea during the offseason.
To Payton’s surprise, he originally believed they brought up the situation the New Orleans Saints suffered in December of 2021. Jameis Winston tore his ACL. Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian found themselves on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Because of all those players missing, Ian Book, a rookie at the time, had to start for the New Orleans Saints. However, the Saints staff at the time had conversations with Brees about returning for that game, but a similar outcome to that of the Broncos occurred — no dice.
Drew Brees Still Has Respect Within Modern NFL Circles Despite His Age
If Brees felt like he could return, the Denver Broncos would have signed him to compete with Jarrett Stidham, the actual starter of the AFC Championship game. Phillip Rivers unretired last season to help the dire Indianapolis Colts, who were down multiple quarterback options. Despite their relative distance away from being in the NFL, both players still garner plenty of praise from modern coaches and front office. Their leadership and wisdom can supersede their aging atheletic ability.
A Broncos source told ESPN‘s Adam Schefter, “At a minimum, you sign [Brees], he’s 1A or 1B. And Drew’s point was: ‘I know how to win a game like that.'”
New Orleans Saints Drew Brees Almost Played With Denver Broncos