When the Denver Broncos saw their field goal go in to beat the Buffalo Bills last week, emotions and excitement were high. The Broncos were heading to the next round, and now, only one more game away from the Super Bowl. In an instant, that excitement vanished.
HC Sean Payton announced star QB Bo Nix was injured at the end of the game, required surgery, and would be ruled out for the rest of the playoffs. Nix’s injury was catastrophic, but Payton said that they believe that backup Jarrett Stidham has the talent to come in and help this team win games. Now, the 29-year-old will get the biggest opportunity in his career.
Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham’s Journey to This Point
Back in 2019, during day 3 of the NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected Stidham in the fourth round (133rd pick). In the 2019 season, Stidham sat behind NFL Legend Tom Brady for the year, and after Brady left in 2020, Cam Newton took over as the starter. Stidham was never able to break through and start a game, and in 2021, when the Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round, the writing was on the wall.
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Stidham was out for most of 2021 with an injury, and in the 2022 offseason, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 6th-round selection in exchange for a 7th-round pick. With Vegas, Stidham was able to start some games, and in those two opportunities, he wasn’t bad.
Yes, turnovers were an issue, but one of those games was against the San Francisco 49ers’ defense, which, in 2022, was ranked third overall in PFSN’s Defensive Impact Metric, and Stidham finished with 365 passing yards. Again, he also had two interceptions, but the three touchdowns made up for it.
After that season, in the 2023 offseason, the Broncos signed Stidham to a two-year deal. In his first season with Denver, Stidham started two games and again was not bad. He had over 200 passing yards in both games, was a threat running the ball, and had limited turnovers (only 1 interception in 2 games). The Broncos then drafted Nix in 2024, so Stidham was moved back to backup. In the 2025 offseason, his contract was up, but the Broncos decided to bring Stidham back, and thank goodness they did.
Now that we are caught up, Stidham will be Denver’s starting QB in the AFC Championship, and funny enough, he will be facing off against the team that drafted him, the Patriots.
