Report: Drew Brees ‘mentally in’ on Broncos offer, physically he was too ‘damaged’

The Denver Broncos and Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees made headlines on Monday night.

It was about what didn’t happen — but what could’ve went down.

Less than an hour before the Broncos and Chiefs played, ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped a wild report. A pair of Denver assistant coaches contacted Brees about potentially playing in the AFC Championship Game for the Broncos.

Bo Nix had broken his ankle against the Bills and Denver had to turn to Jarrett Stidham. But not before Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael checked in with Brees, who retired from the NFL in the spring of 2021.

Ultimately, it didn’t work out, and the Broncos lost to the Patriots 10-7, sending New England to the Super Bowl.

Veteran NFL reporter Ed Werder is providing more clarity on what happened, including why Drew Brees had to decline. You may have to open the tweet below to read the full thing.

HOF QB Drew Brees tells me he was contacted by former Saints coaches on Sean Payton’s staff about playing in the AFC Championship Game for injured Bo Nix the morning after Dan Fouts did the door knock informing him he was voted into the HOF.

Brees jokingly checked with HOF CEO…

— Ed Werder (@WerderEdNFL) September 15, 2026

Mentally, it sounds like Drew Brees seriously considered playing. It would’ve been a wild comeback — but his body wouldn’t cooperate, according to Werder.

“Brees said his right wrist and shoulder were so damaged he couldn’t throw 15 yards with necessary velocity. That was the end of it,” Werder concluded his tweet with.

Schefter reported that Sean Payton was largely left out of the loop in these preliminary conversations, something the head coach confirmed in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

“I kept thinking they were just talking about the COVID season. Even in the COVID season when he and I discussed possibly coming back for a Monday night game, he had trouble throwing it. So, I don’t think really anything really came of it,” Payton said.

Payton knows that Brees doesn’t have that off switch in his brain, even at 47-years-old.

“I think in Drew’s mind, there’s that competitor in him. So, I was kind of out of the loop. I don’t think it’s a big story, but nonetheless, certainly one that once they described it to me, it just never got to my level, I guess,” Payton said.

At the end of the day, it didn’t happen.

But in an alternate universe where Drew Brees was healthy, maybe he could’ve worn orange and blue and led the Broncos to the Super Bowl.

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