Legendary quarterback Drew Brees mulled a return to the NFL last season to play for the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game after Bo Nix suffered an ankle injury, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Brees, who turned 47 just days before Nix suffered the season-ending ailment in the divisional round, spoke with then-Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael about potentially coming out of retirement.
The 13-time Pro Bowler told the coaches he wanted to work out and see how his body responded before making a decision. However, Brees experienced wrist discomfort during the workout and ultimately ruled out a return.
Head coach Sean Payton reportedly didn't know about the conversations Lombardi and Carmichael had with Brees until the offseason. When he found out that his assistants had been talking to Brees about bringing him onto the roster without his knowledge, Payton was both "fascinated and flabbergasted," according to Schefter.
Payton ultimately fired Lombardi a few days after the AFC Championship Game and promoted quarterbacks coach Davis Webb to replace him. Charmichael is also no longer with the organization and is now the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.
Denver rolled with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham in the AFC title game. He led the team on a touchdown drive in the first quarter, but ended up struggling in the second half when it started snowing. He finished the contest completing 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots.
Philip Rivers famously returned to the league to join the Indianapolis Colts last season at 44, four years after his initial retirement. Indianapolis brought Rivers in after starter Daniel Jones suffered a torn Achilles while the team was 8-5 and fighting for a playoff spot. Rivers finished the year 0-3 while completing 63% of his throws for 544 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions.
Brees was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August after an illustrious 20-year career. He won a Super Bowl with Payton as his head coach with the New Orleans Saints, and his 80,358 passing yards and 571 passing touchdowns rank second on the NFL's all-time list, behind only Tom Brady.
