ESPN insider Adam Schefter sent shockwaves through the NFL world Monday night when he reported that Drew Brees contemplated a comeback last January.
After the Denver Broncos lost Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in their divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills, the coaching staff reached out to Brees about him possibly coming out of retirement.
Schefter said Brees tried to give it a go with a workout, but he immediately felt discomfort in his wrist after the session was over. That’s all he needed to feel in order to put his comeback attempt on ice.
Even though NFL fans and media members doubted Schefter’s report, he stands by his information.
“People could say what they want, ‘not realistic, come on, not happening.’ I’m just telling you, that’s what happened,” Schefter said, via Awful Announcing. “Now you could decide for yourself how viable that was or wasn’t. I took some comments here: ‘Come on, why is this coming out now?’ Well, it’s coming out now because Bo Nix is making his return and their season is kicking off, and here’s an interesting scenario behind the scenes that was going on from last January that we didn’t know about.”
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Did Brees really consider a return?
Longtime NFL reporter Ed Werder spoke to Brees about this rumor and whether or not it’s legit. The Hall of Famer confirmed that he was interested in helping the Broncos, but his body just couldn’t get to where it needed to be.
“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,” Werder wrote. “Once assured nothing would change regarding his 2026 HOF induction, Brees took son Callen to nearby field to throw. Mentally, he was in for the Denver offer if he could perform physically and planned to convey that directly to Payton. Instead, 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.”
So there you have it, Broncos fans, Brees would’ve been your quarterback in the AFC Championship if his throwing shoulder was healthy.
