While the Denver Broncos were gearing up to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, the team received major news.
The Denver Broncos fell one game short of the 2026 Super Bowl, dropping the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.
Last season, Denver exceeded expectations by dominating in the regular season and cruising through the playoffs.
However, just minutes after beating the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round, their season got flipped on its head when it was revealed that quarterback Bo Nix had sustained an ankle injury in the final play of the 33-30 win.
While the team was still hopeful for a win, in a game played at Empower Field, Denver's offense was now in the hands of QB Jarrett Stidham.
Now, the football world shockingly found out that a different QB could have been under center for the AFC Championship -- one that was not even in the NFL.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday night that Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees considered coming out of retirement to aid his former coach, Sean Payton, in one last ride.
" After the Broncos lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a fractured ankle in their overtime playoff victory against the Bills, Denver's then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael had discussions with Brees about the former star quarterback coming out of retirement to be ready for the AFC Championship Game," Schefter wrote.
Allegedly, Brees wanted to work out before agreeing to come back to the NFL and obviously ultimately stayed off the field.
This unprecedented situation could have led to a reunion with Payton, Brees' coach of 15 years with the New Orleans Saints.
The obvious question of whether Brees could have legitimately led Denver to the Super Bowl comes to mind, but the current Hall of Famer was 47 years old at the time and had not been on the field since 2021 -- it's unlikely. But not impossible.
Stidham was only able to get Denver a measly seven points in the loss, but New England only scored 10. A win was certainly on the table, but the Broncos came up short.
There's also no guarantee that Brees would have been the starting QB, or even taken a single snap, with the assumption that he likely would have been physically behind his peers on the field.
Regardless, it's an incredible story and one of the wilder "What Ifs" in NFL history.
Now, the Broncos have a chance to finally make it to the promised land, with the 2026-27 season kicking off in Kansas City on Monday Night.
