Drew Brees reportedly came close to Philip Rivers-like comeback with Broncos

Drew Brees reportedly came close to Philip Rivers-like comeback with Broncos originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Philip Rivers’ unretirement shocked the NFL in 2025, but it was a last-ditch effort by the Colts just to salvage their season and get to the playoffs.

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Drew Brees — who retired the same offseason as Rivers did — nearly rocked the league with his own stunning decision in the middle of the playoffs.

Brees even put himself through a workout to see if he could physically give it a shot, but he ultimately decided to stay retired. The Saints legend was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame just weeks later.

Here’s what you need to know about Brees’ near-comeback.

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Did Drew Brees consider unretiring?

ESPN reported Monday that Broncos offensive coaches who worked with Brees in New Orleans “had discussions with Brees about the former star quarterback coming out of retirement to be ready for the AFC Championship Game” after Bo Nix broke a bone in his ankle during the divisional round.

Brees’ immediate response wasn’t “no.” According to ESPN, he told the Broncos wanted to put himself through a workout to “see how his body would respond.” When he did, Brees felt discomfort in his wrist and decided against the improbable return.

“The Broncos were talking about bringing in Drew Brees for the AFC Championship game after the Bo Nix injury..

Drew Brees worked out but his wrist was bothering him” – @AdamSchefter

That would have been FANTASTIC to see Drew Brees back out there #MondayNightCountdownpic.twitter.com/scMNVSLhK5

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 14, 2026

Brees previously hinted on the “New Heights” podcast that he considered unretiring, telling the Kelce brothers in February, “something happened where I thought there might be a chance where I could play that week.”

As it turns out, that opportunity came up less than a month before that revelation. With Brees declining the Broncos, Jarrett Stidham started a snowy loss to the Patriots in the AFC championship game.

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Drew Brees connection with Sean Payton

Brees never played for the Broncos, but the connection between the now-Hall of Famer and the franchise is obvious: head coach Sean Payton, who coached Brees for his entire 15-year tenure in New Orleans, aside from the 2012 season when Payton was suspended.

Not only does Brees have a strong relationship with Payton, but longtime Saints assistants Joe Lombardi and Pete Carmichael were both on the Broncos’ staff last season. Just as Rivers was familiar with Colts coach Shane Steichen from their time together with the Chargers, Brees could have jumped in and had instant familiarity with Payton’s offense.

When did Drew Brees retire?

Brees retired in March of 2021, when he was 42. If he had unretired in January, he would have joined the Broncos just after his 47th birthday, making him the oldest quarterback to start an NFL game between the regular season or playoffs.

Brees was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame less than two weeks after the AFC championship game. Whether it would have been too late in the process to come off the ballot is unclear, but Rivers’ unretirement in December took him out of consideration for Canton and delayed his eligibility by another five years.