The Broncos’ quarterback search after Bo Nix’s ankle injury apparently reached a name few would have expected: Drew Brees.
According to Adam Schefter, Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi - both longtime Sean Payton assistants and former Broncos coaches - privately contacted Brees to see whether he would consider coming out of retirement for Denver’s AFC Championship Game run. Schefter reported the news during the Monday Night Football pregame show, and later posted: “ESPN sources: Hall-of-Fame QB Drew Brees mulled playing for the Denver Broncos in last season’s AFC Championship game. https://t.co/SfsBCUPjLz”
The possibility surfaced after Denver’s stunning AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, when Nix broke his ankle on the second-to-last play of the game, just before the Broncos kicked the game-winning field goal to advance to the AFC Championship Game. Once the injury became public, Denver turned to Jarrett Stidham the following week, but he couldn’t play well enough to get the Broncos through.
Brees ultimately passed because of discomfort in his wrist, but the fact that the conversation happened at all tells you how far the Broncos were willing to reach in the moment. With the injury hitting the most important position in sports, it made sense that Denver would at least explore every possible option.
The connection to Payton also made the idea less far-fetched than it sounds on the surface. Brees and Payton spent 2006-2020 together with the New Orleans Saints, building Hall of Fame resumes side by side. Brees turned 47 in January, so a comeback would have been a huge ask, but the fact that he worked out at least suggests he seriously considered it.
Brees’ late-career numbers only add to the intrigue. In his final six NFL seasons, he put together six straight 100-plus passer rating years. He closed his Saints career with 491 touchdown passes, 142 wins and 68,010 passing yards.
That partnership with Payton also produced a championship, with the Saints beating Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV during the 2009 season.
In Other News...
Broncos Fans Just Got An Early AFC West Opening
The Broncos are heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season with a timely opening in the AFC West already taking shape, thanks to the way the Chargers stumbled out of the gate. Los Angeles dropped a significant upset to the Arizona Cardinals, and for Denver, that kind of early division shakeup can matter as much as anything that happens on the field in September. It also adds a little extra intrigue to a Broncos opener against the Chiefs, because the division race can start tightening or tilting before most teams have settled in.
For the Chargers, the loss brings back familiar questions about how quickly a team can adjust after coaching changes and whether recent history will follow them again into another season. The Broncos do not need to solve those problems themselves, but they can certainly benefit if Los Angeles spends the fall digging out of an early hole. In a division where every result tends to echo for months, Denver suddenly has a clearer path to make Week 1 count in a bigger way. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Get A Week 1 Opening Chiefs Fans Will Hate
Opening week already looks a little different for Kansas City, and Denver has reason to take notice. The Chiefs have ruled out starting tackle Josh Simmons and starting safety Chamarri Conner for the Broncos visit, leaving them thinner on both the edge of the offensive line and in the back end of the defense as the season begins.
For a Broncos team that is expected to be healthy, that kind of early shuffle can matter. Kansas City is now likely leaning on a less experienced tackle combination and a secondary built around several newer faces, which could hand Denver some favorable matchups for both the pass rush and the passing game when the division rivals meet. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Week 1 Plan Vs Chiefs Is Starting To Take Shape
The Broncos Week 1 roster picture against the Chiefs is beginning to clarify, and it comes with a little bit of familiar roster juggling. Denver is expected to promote fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni from the practice squad to the 53-man roster for the season opener, a move that fits the way the team managed both players through final cuts and back onto the practice squad.
General manager George Paton has already confirmed the roster-management plan, and Sean Payton has also weighed in on how the team is handling the fullback spot. For Denver, it is a small but telling part of the opener prep, especially with the Chiefs waiting and the Broncos looking to settle on the pieces they want in place before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]