Mile High Report
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...
