A newly revealed account from Drew Brees has created confusion surrounding a potential NFL tampering situation involving Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos, with Brees’ own words contradicting earlier reports about who initiated contact following Bo Nix’s playoff injury.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
During an appearance on the Let’s Go! podcast with Matthew Stafford, Peter King, and Jim Gray, Brees detailed how a casual conversation during his Pro Football Hall of Fame notification led to a brief effort to prepare for an NFL return.
“So I get the knock, I get the knock literally on Monday, January 19th,” Brees said.
“It was the day after the divisional round where, the news had come out that Bo Nix had hurt himself. So Jim Porter, who’s the president of the Hall of Fame, we’re there, we’re having this moment. I’m at, you know, Dan Fouts is telling me I’m in the Hall of Fame. And I look at Jim Porter and I 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… Immediately texted Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi, who’s my OC and quarterback coach with the Saints, they were with the Broncos. I said, you guys need me this week? I said, I could, I might be able to be ready. And they’re like, are you serious?”
That timeline centers on the aftermath of Denver’s 2025 Divisional Playoff win over the Buffalo Bills, when quarterback Bo Nix fractured his right ankle, leaving the Broncos without their starter for the AFC Championship Game.
That’s when Brees became a potential option. Brees remains on the New Orleans Saints’ reserve-retired list, making him technically their contractual property under NFL rules.
Contacting or negotiating with a player on another team’s reserve list without prior permission constitutes tampering under league policy, a rule the NFL has previously enforced stringently with severe penalties including loss of draft picks.
Earlier reports from ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ed Werder indicated members of Sean Payton’s coaching staff contacted Brees first. Werder posted on X that Brees told him he was contacted by former Saints coaches on Payton’s staff about playing in the AFC Championship Game.
In his latest statement, Brees revealed he reached out to coaches, contradicting earlier reports that they contacted him.
Following the text exchange, Brees attempted to throw in his backyard to see if his body could handle an NFL workload.
“So I got up the next morning. I gave it a go. I had my 13-year-old son catching balls for me in the backyard,” Brees said. “And man, it just, it was not happening with the right side. Left side, I could have gotten you inside of 20. I would have been lethal. But at least I could have gotten the ball to receivers in the right place. But no, it wasn’t going to happen. And that was the end of it, yeah. Texted him back and said, look, I’ll be there for moral support.”
His 2005 shoulder injury ultimately prevented a return. While Brees has ruled out any comeback, his remarks have kept scrutiny on the Denver Broncos regarding potential tampering penalties, which can range from heavy fines to forfeited draft selections.
The NFL has not opened a formal investigation, though the league declined to comment when asked directly by ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio about potential violations.