How Sean Payton’s Secret Drew Brees Comeback Plan to Replace Bo Nix Fell Apart

Bo Nix fractured his ankle late last season as the Denver Broncos were pushing toward the AFC Championship, and the franchise was suddenly scrambling for answers at quarterback. What happened next is only coming to light now.

A pair of Broncos assistant coaches secretly reached out to Drew Brees about coming out of retirement to play in the AFC title game, and Brees actually worked out before a wrist issue shut the plan down entirely.

Drew Brees workout ended Broncos' postseason comeback plan

Nix went down on the second-to-last play of Denver's divisional round overtime win over the Buffalo Bills on January 17, fracturing his ankle and ending his season on the spot. Two days earlier, Brees had turned 47 years old.

That did not stop then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael, both longtime Brees coaches from their days together in New Orleans , from picking up the phone.

Feb 5, 2026; San Franciso, CA, USA; Drew Brees during a press conference introducing the NFL Hall of Fame Class of 2026 at Palace of Fine Arts. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Well, Scott, here's the untold story behind Bo Nix's fractured ankle. A couple days after that injury happened, the then Broncos assistant coaches Pete Carmichael and Joel Lombardi privately reached out to Drew Brees to gauge his interest in coming in that week, playing for the team, and potentially playing in the AFC Championship game," insider Adam Schefter said on ESPN.

Brees told them he wanted to work out first to see how his body responded. When he did, his wrist was bothering him, and that was the end of it. Had he felt good, Schefter reported, Payton would have signed him and chosen between Brees and backup Jarrett Stidham to start against the New England Patriots .

The entire pursuit happened without Sean Payton's knowledge. Lombardi and Carmichael wanted to gauge Brees' interest before bringing it to the head coach. When Payton eventually found out during the offseason, he initially thought his assistants were talking about the 2021 situation in New Orleans, when injuries and COVID absences forced the Saints to start Ian Book on a Monday night against the Dolphins after the team had briefly approached Brees about returning then too.

Had Brees suited up, he would have been 47 years old and five years removed from his last NFL game, a playoff loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in January 2021. It would have made him the second-oldest quarterback to play in an NFL game in history, behind only George Blanda, who appeared in a game at 48. Instead, Stidham started the AFC Championship, completed 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, and the Broncos came up short against the Patriots after a critical fumble on an attempted throwaway that was ruled a backwards pass.

Brees had previously hinted on the New Heights podcast with Travis and Jason Kelce that he had an opportunity to return but did not share the team or details. The Schefter report fills in the blanks.

Sean Payton now moves forward with Bo Nix in Denver

Payton has since moved on and made clear that Nix remains his guy heading into 2026. He recently defended the young quarterback publicly against outside criticism, a sign of how much confidence Denver's coaching staff still has in him after his strong start to his NFL career.

Jarrett Stidham has been named the backup again this season, a role that took on far more importance than anyone expected a year ago. The Broncos will hope the quarterback room stays quiet in 2026.

Brees, meanwhile, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August and has settled into a role as a game analyst at Fox Sports. His near-comeback will go down as one of the more remarkable what-ifs in recent NFL history.