A wild report dropped Monday night, claiming multiple Broncos coaches tried to lure retired legend Drew Brees out of retirement after starter Bo Nix suffered a season-ending foot injury. But here’s the absolute kicker: Head coach Sean Payton says he was completely in the dark on the whole thing. Talk about a mess right out of the gate for the Broncos after their Week 1 loss!
Broncos Coaches Made a Secret Play for Brees
The report detailed how then-offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael reportedly reached out to Brees about possibly joining the Broncos for the AFC Championship. You read that right: AFC Championship. They were clearly desperate after Nix’s devastating foot injury put him on the sidelines for the rest of the season. But this whole clandestine operation overlooked some massive, obvious details. For starters, Brees can’t even throw with his right arm anymore. Seriously, did anyone actually check that? More importantly, the report completely ignored the fact that signing Brees would have been straight-up impossible because he’s still sitting on the Saints’ reserve-retired list. This isn’t just a bad look, it screams of potential tampering, especially if Lombardi and Carmichael were reaching out without a green light from the Saints. You just don’t do that.
Payton’s Shocking Claim: “I Was the Odd Man Out”
When reporters finally caught up with Coach Payton after their Week 1 loss to the Chiefs and asked for his take on the explosive report, his answer was jaw-dropping. He completely disavowed any knowledge, telling them, “No, I just know I was the odd man out, and I never heard anything about it, so it never came to anything.” He went on to say he was “only told about it later,” and was “just like you guys.” So, your own staff is out there trying to recruit a retired quarterback for a potential championship run, and you, the head coach, have no clue until after the fact? That’s not just a communication breakdown, that’s a full-blown organizational crisis. The tampering issue alone is bad enough if Lombardi and Carmichael contacted Brees without the Saints’ permission. But for the head coach to be so completely sidelined from his own staff’s actions? That speaks volumes about the early season chaos.
This whole situation is a massive headache for the Broncos. Not only are they dealing with a season-ending injury to their starting quarterback, but now they’re facing potential tampering issues and a clear lack of communication at the highest levels. For any retired player, this is a stark reminder: if you’re even thinking about a comeback, you absolutely have to find a way to get released first. This drama is just getting started, and the league office has to be watching.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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