DeMarcus Ware could come out of retirement for the Denver Broncos.

But not as a player.

According to Mike Klis of 9News, the Broncos have communicated with the future Hall-of-Fame linebacker about returning as a part-time pass-rush consultant. Klis notes the team's contacted other former NFLers -- Chad Brown, perhaps? -- regarding the opportunity, which would be put to use during Organized Team Activities and training camp.

Second-year Broncos head man Vance Joseph had been wanting to hire a dedicated pass-rush instructor after opting not to replace former outside linebackers coach Fred Pagac, one of several assistants fired in January's great coaching purge. Connecting the dots led to Ware, whose three-year, 21.5-sack tenure helped bring a championship to the Mile High City.

Ware, however, said earlier this month that he hasn't "gotten the call" from Joseph, while Klis similarly reported the gig is "not expected to work out.” Ware, a natural fit in media, appears on NFL Network as an analyst and may angle for a permanent job with a major network.

Ware announced his retirement last offseason following an injury-plagued 2016 campaign. His troublesome back was a major factor for calling it quits; he explained in an interview last September that "I couldn’t play with my kids and I couldn’t sit down."

He also admitted during the same interview that he considered suiting up for the Broncos in 2017, after OLB Shane Ray was sidelined due to a wrist injury.

"Oh, I had second thoughts [about retirement]," he said. "When Shane [Ray] went down I had second thoughts."

What's next for the Denver Broncos? Don’t miss out on any news, take a second to sign up for our FREE Broncos newsletter!

If Ware wants to break into coaching, there is no better opportunity than with the Broncos, where he'd reunite with Von Miller, Ray and Shaquil Barrett, and impart wisdom to newly-minted fifth-overall draft pick Bradley Chubb -- billed as a Miller clone.

And there's no better candidate for the Broncos, as Ware ranks No. 8 on the league's all-time sacks list with 138.5 takedowns across 12 seasons.

Miller plans on linking up with Ware, one way or another. He's hosting a pass-rush summit for the second consecutive year, an event that likely will feature his mentor.

"We’re definitely going to have it again," Miller said in April. "It was a great event. I don’t plan on letting that go anytime soon. Whenever you can get the rookies in there and the vets with guys like DeMarcus [Ware], [Pro Football Hall of Fame DE] Bruce Smith and [former NFL DL] Warren Sapp. All these guys, they want to come back and help. Whenever you can get all of those guys in a room and we can just share knowledge, it’s a magical thing."

The Broncos are set to hold OTAs on May 22-24, May 29-31 and June 4-7. A mandatory three-day minicamp then takes place from June 12-14 before training camp kicks off at the end of July.