Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees considered coming out of retirement at age 47 to play for the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game last season, ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed on Monday.
After the Broncos lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael reached out to Brees about a potential return to the league, according to Schefter.
Brees told the team he wanted to work out and see how his body responded. Following his workout, "Brees found discomfort in his wrist and nixed the idea that would have become one of the most improbable returns in NFL history," Schefter reported for ESPN.
Brees confirmed the workout during an appearance on the "New Heights" podcast in February.
"There was a moment this year where, literally, I was drinking a tequila and something happened where I thought there might be a chance where I could play that week," Brees told Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce. However, after a workout, Brees realized "it's not there."
Denver's head coach, Sean Payton, didn't even hear about Lombardi and Carmichael reaching out to Brees until this offseason, according to Schefter. The coach was "both fascinated and flabbergasted" to learn of the plot.
The Broncos ended up starting Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. Stidham had two costly turnovers in a 10-7 loss, and he's back as the club's No. 2 quarterback this season.
Social: Follow Broncos Wire on Facebook and Twitter/X!
This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Drew Brees considered joining Broncos after Bo Nix's playoff injury
