The Denver Broncos are in desperate need of a quarterback after Bo Nix was ruled out for the season. Several fans had someone in mind as a potential two-game replacement.
Nix led the Broncos to a 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in front of a rabid home crowd at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo. Disaster struck, however, in the closing series as Nix suffered a fracture in his right ankle.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix was scheduled to undergo surgery on Tuesday, which will keep him out for the remainder of the playoffs.
Fans couldn’t help but daydream about a certain 7-time Super Bowl winner taking a break from the broadcast booth to suit up in place of Nix. Many joked about how Tom Brady might have let an intrusive thought linger in his mind about coming out of retirement.
Tom Brady after hearing the Bo Nix news pic.twitter.com/fPDXpHYLn0
— Josh Hill (@jdavhill) January 18, 2026
Tom Brady coming out of retirement to replace Bo Nix and destroy the Patriots if they defeat the Texans: pic.twitter.com/EQf2ATpCXX
— In My Mind (@MeAloneInMyMind) January 18, 2026
Tom Brady hearing the Bo Nix news pic.twitter.com/HGUhGEbmvj
— Nathan (@nd_joyce) January 18, 2026
Brady turns 49 years old later this year and has not thrown a football on an NFL field since the 2022 season. But fans just saw a 44-year-old Philip Rivers come out of retirement from an even longer hiatus to man the Indianapolis Colts’ starting job for a few games. While the Rivers failed to record a win across three games played, he did perform much better than most were expecting.
Brady’s body may no longer be able to endure a full season of wear and tear, but the man can probably sling it for a couple of contests — especially if the AFC Championship Game comes against his New England Patriots.
Broncos fans, however, will have to settle for a former Brady backup to replace Nix. Jarrett Stidham, who backed up Brady on the Patriots in 2019, is set to start for Denver in the conference title game.
