Following a divisional round playoff injury to quarterback Bo Nix, former Denver Broncos assistants explored a potential unretirement with Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees to start the AFC Championship game. The unexecuted comeback attempt has sparked potential NFL tampering concerns for the franchise.
When Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle late in an overtime divisional round playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills, the franchise scrambled for a replacement ahead of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots, according to reporting from sports.yahoo.com. With backup Jarrett Stidham next in line, former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael quietly initiated contact with retired quarterback Drew Brees to gauge his interest in returning to the field, as detailed by foxnews.com. Brees, who celebrated his 47th birthday just two days before Nix went down, took the inquiry seriously enough to hold a private throwing workout, as reported by CBS Sports. Ultimately, wrist discomfort during the session derailed the plan, and the idea of one of the league’s most decorated passers making a jaw-dropping return dissolved before reaching head coach Sean Payton.
Behind Closed Doors: The Off-Script Outreach to Drew Brees
According to newsweek.com, head coach Sean Payton remained entirely unaware of the pursuit until months later during the offseason. Lombardi and Carmichael, both former colleagues of Brees during their shared tenure in New Orleans, wanted to gauge the quarterback’s appetite for an unretirement before broaching the topic with Payton.
When Payton finally learned of the plan, he initially confused it with past discussions from the COVID-19 season. Brees, however, left breadcrumbs earlier this year, mentioning on the New Heights podcast that he had some conversations
regarding a return, as noted by CBS Sports.
Contract Status and Tampering Concerns at League Headquarters
Beyond the physical gamble of throwing a 47-year-old quarterback into a freezing, snowy conference title game with zero practice reps, the outreach triggered immediate questions regarding NFL rules. As highlighted by Nbcsports, Brees officially retired in March 2021 and remains on the New Orleans Saints’ reserve-retired list. Because he is not a free agent, he remains the contractual property of the Saints.
Under league regulations, contacting a player under contract with another team without permission constitutes tampering. While sports.yahoo.com notes that the NFL ignores minor tampering infractions the vast majority of the time, the league office has previously demonstrated a willingness to act on its own accord. In 2022, the NFL penalized the Miami Dolphins for tampering after uncovering illicit contact involving Payton and Tom Brady during an unrelated investigation.
Conflicting Narratives Over Who Made the First Call
The origin of the conversation has become a point of careful narrative management in Denver. Ed Werder reported that Brees indicated the Broncos made the initial phone call, according to sports.yahoo.com. Conversely, Payton offered a different sequence of events to reporters, stating that Brees reached out first.
Regardless of who dialed first, league protocol dictates that any team contacted by a player whose rights belong elsewhere must decline to speak and immediately report the outreach to the club holding the player’s contract. The discrepancy between Brees’ account and Payton’s public positioning suggests the organization is wary of league scrutiny, as observed by Nbcsports.
The Hall of Fame Timeline and What Might Have Been
Had Brees followed through and took a single active snap in an NFL game, it would have reset his five-year retirement clock. That single appearance would have delayed his Pro Hall of Fame induction from August 2026 back to 2031, adding an unusual career wrinkle to a legendary resume.
Instead, Stidham started under center for Denver, the Broncos dropped a 10-7 defensive battle to New England, and the franchise opened the 2026 season with a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, looking ahead to a Week 2 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to newsweek.com.
