Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham will get the start this Sunday vs. the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in place of injured starting quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his ankle in the final plays of their thrilling victory over the Bills.
However, things could have looked a good bit different this Sunday. According to multiple reports, including The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the New England Patriots had interest and an offer on the table for Jarrett Stidham this offseason to return to the team
and be Drake Maye’s backup. Ultimately, Stidham re-signed with the Broncos in large part due to the culture and relationships he built in that quarterback room and did not want to leave.
Now, he will be leading the Broncos against the team that drafted him, viewed him as the potential heir to Tom Brady, and attempted to re-sign him this offseason in the AFC Championship Game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
In the 4th round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots would select Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham with their 133rd overall pick. He was a favorite of then and now current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and was viewed as the potential heir apparent to future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady.
After Brady departed for Tampa, Stidham was viewed as the guy, but the Patriots would add veteran quarterback Cam Newton before training camp, and Stidham would lose that quarterback competition and never become the heir apparent in New England.
Next season, Josh McDaniels would get the Las Vegas Raiders head coaching job and would trade for Stidham. He would start a handful of games but have a solid showing in his first career start vs. the 49ers, where he passed for 364 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The following offseason, Stidham would become a free agent and, surprisingly, become a priority signing for newly hired Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. His first signing as the Broncos coach was to bring in Jarrett Stidham to be Russell Wilson’s backup and insurance if that partnership never worked out. As we all know, things did not work out between Russ and the Broncos, and Stidham would start the final two games of that 2023 season. He would hold on to that starting gig throughout the offseason and training camp before losing the starting quarterback competition to rookie first-round pick, Bo Nix. Despite losing the competition, Stidham performed well in camp and the preseason and gave the Broncos a valuable backup and mentor in that quarterback room.
This past offseason, Stidham would hit the free agent market and, despite receiving interest and an offer from the Patriots, decided to re-sign with the Broncos. He once again performed well during the preseason, and even had the second-team offense looking better than the first-team offense at times, but would again be a valuable backup and mentor for the Broncos.
Now, with Bo Nix down with a broken ankle, Stidham will be handed the keys to the Broncos’ offense in the AFC Championship Game. He knows the offense well, and despite having limited practice reps and not attempting a regular-season pass since the season finale of the 2023 season, the Broncos coaching staff is confident in Stidham.
Head coach Sean Payton was asked why he believes Jarrett Stidham is ready for this moment. He told reporters that Stidham was a target for them while he was with the Saints. He added that he knows how Josh McDaniels coached him and felt about him and knows how he played when given the opportunity. He finished by saying that Stidham has been in that building for three years and has seen him day-in-and-day-out doing things that the media and fans do not have access to, and that he will be ready to go and ready for the moment.
“It started with our evaluation in New Orleans of him. He was a target for us in the draft. That doesn’t really mean anything other than we liked this player coming out. I know how he was coached in New England. I know exactly how he was coached in New England. Then I know how [Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh] McDaniels felt about him when he brought him from New England to Vegas. Then I know reports on how he played, and then we saw him play real time. But ultimately, to answer your question, it’s our three years here. In our three years, watching him day-in and day-out that you guys don’t have access to. He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”
Ever since Payton broke the news about Nix’s broken ankle, he has been praising Stidham highly, which should be expected. However, this praise has been happening ever since he signed, and apparently, since he was a draft prospect back in 2019. He told reporters that he believed Stidham can be a starting quarterback in this league and doubled down on that Saturday Night. He brought him in as “his guy” during the Wilson saga and started him for two games, and had him lead this team as QB1 through the offseason and into training camp in 2024. Then, the Broncos re-signed Stiddy and trusted him to be their backup and mentor to Bo Nix. Now, he is trusting him to lead the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.
This has the potential to be a storybook ending for Jarrett Stidham. Coming in for the injured starter and facing the team that drafted you, the coach who believed in you, with a Super Bowl appearance on the line. The script writers worked overtime on this one, and hopefully it ends with a Denver Broncos victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.
