Drew Brees has made a significant revision to the story about his contact with the Denver Broncos during the 2025 NFL playoffs.
Speaking on SiriusXM's "Let's Go" podcast with Jim Gray, Brees said he contacted former Broncos assistant coaches Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi, not the other way around.
Ahead of Denver's season opener on Sept. 14, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Carmichael and Lombardi reached out to Brees after losing Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. One day later, Ed Werder reported that Brees told him the retired quarterback "was contacted by former Saints coaches on Sean Payton’s staff" about playing for them in the AFC Championship game.
Payton flipped the narrative when asked
about the contact, noting that it was Brees who contacted the team. Now, about a week after the initial report, Brees himself says he was the one who initiated contact.
Here are his comments from the "Let's Go" podcast:
“The thought crossed my mind to the point where I got up the next day after…Here's the story. So I get the knock (from the Hall of Fame), I get the knock literally on Monday, January 19th. It was the day after the Divisional Round where the news had come out that Bo Nix had hurt his foot, he was gonna be out. So Jim Porter, who's the president of the Hall of Fame, we're there, we're having this moment. Dan Fouts is telling me I'm in the Hall of Fame. And I look at Jim Porter and said, "Well, I guess this means I can't go back and play for the Broncos this week." And he goes, "Actually, you can do whatever you want." He said, "Voting's already been done, you're in, you can do whatever you want." And so I'm telling you when I say I like flipped the switch, I flipped the switch. Immediately texted Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi, my OC and quarterback coach with the Saints, they were with the Broncos. I said, "You guys need me this week?" I said, "I might be able to be ready." And they're like, "Are you serious? We'll go down and tell Sean [Payton] right now." I said, "Wait, let me get up tomorrow. Let me give this thing a go." So I got up the next morning
and I gave it a go. I had my 13-year-old son catching balls for me in the backyard. And man, it just was not happening with the right side. Left side, inside the 20 I would have been lethal. At least could have gotten them in and out of the right plays. But no, it wasn't going to happen.”
Why does it matter? Because Brees was technically still on the New Orleans Saints' reserve/retired list, the Broncos contacting him technically could have been tampering, which could lead to NFL discipline. The league might have more grace for the "tampering" if it was Brees who initiated the contact. The NFL declined to comment on the matter, which might be a sign that they're treating it as no big deal.
In the end, nothing came of it because past shoulder and wrist injuries prevented Brees from attempting a comeback at age 47.
"[M]y right wrist, right shoulder wouldn't allow it to happen," Brees said on the podcast. "But did I think about it? Absolutely. 1000%. I would've loved to come back and play for the Broncos in the AFC Championship game, get my coach and a bunch of the other guys that I know in that organization, the Penner family, to the Super Bowl. Would've loved it.”
With Brees unable to play, the Broncos started Jarrett Stidham, who had two costly turnovers in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots. Stidham is now back with the club as their primary backup QB for the 2026 season.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Drew Brees makes significant change to story about Broncos contact
