Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix praised the support he received from backups Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. The latter two are free agents this season, and one could beat his projected market value.
Stidham, 28, is coming off a two-year, $10 million contract.
He started the final two games of the 2023 regular season for the Broncos in place of Russell Wilson. He also lamented losing out on the Broncos’ QB1 job that he openly campaigned for.
“These guys don’t have any realistic hope of landing a starting job, but they’re each expecting to land a backup role with some level of guaranteed money, suggesting there’s some competition for their signatures. Some of them will have partial guarantees, while the high-end options, such as [Marcus] Mariota and [Jimmy] Garoppolo, will be looking at full guarantees and deals closer to the $8 million range,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on February 24. “For some of these guys, the best thing they can do is sit on the sidelines.
“Others are tied to the guys who once believed in them. With Josh McDaniels once again the offensive coordinator in New England, as an example, the Patriots could look toward Garoppolo, [Mac] Jones or Stidham as the backup to Drake Maye if he doesn’t believe in Joe Milton.”
Spotrac projected Stidham’s market value at $2.6 million on a one-year contract. But Barnwell projected a range of $3.5-$9 million for this group, tabbed “backups likely to net guaranteed money.”
With $13.7 million in career earnings, Stidham could earn a significant chunk of that in 2025.
Sean Payton Touted Jarrett Stidham as Starter
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quaterbacks Jarrett Stidham #8 and Bo Nix #10 against the Green Bay Packers.
Stidham was originally a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in 2018. He has also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders. Broncos head coach Sean Payton touted as a potential starting option before last season.
Payton even listed Stidham as QB1 to open training camp, though that was also about Nix having to earn his way up like the other rookies.
Still, there was a notable shift in the tone of Payton’s comments about Stidham after Nix arrived.
“He’s young but I think he’s someone that we had a good grade on coming out. We like the player,” Payton told reporters in March 2023, citing Stidham’s start against the San Francisco 49ers for the Raiders. “There were a handful of No. 2 [QB]s that either I’d worked with or we felt comfortable with. But in this case, I think it’s a number two that his arrows moving in a direction where we feel like he can become an NFL starter in our league.”
Payton called Stidham an “important signing” for the Broncos and brought that to fruition, turning to the journeyman after benching Wilson.
Payton later left the door open for Stidham to start, albeit in far less certain terms.
“He’s definitely competing to be the starter,” Payton told media members in March 2024. “I don’t think we have the term ‘driver’s seat’ going. But he’s going to compete for that position. I know he’s anxious and excited to do that. And I’m sure there’ll be other candidates that will be competing with him.”
Jarrett Stidham Wanted Broncos QB1 Job
GettyJarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos runs with the ball against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Stidham openly lobbied for the starting job at the end of the 2023 season, and he noted his disappointment about losing it in training camp in 2024.
“First of all, obviously, I was very disappointed. I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have zero doubts about that. And it just didn’t shake out my way. But I know what kind of player I am, kind of person I am,” Stidham told reporters in August 2024. “I’ll be ready to go if I need to be. And, yeah, like I said, I have no doubts that I’m a starting caliber quarterback in this league.”
Stidham embraced his role in support of Nix.
He noted that he had transitioned from the young guy behind the likes of Tom Brady to the veteran in the room for Nix and Wilson.
“I wouldn’t say it’s drastically different,’’ Stidham said, per Klis in October 2024. “I would say Bo, Zach [Wilson, the Broncos’ No. 3 QB] and I probably spend more time together. Just going over things, or ‘Hey, how do you guys see this?’ or, ‘What do think here?’
“Where in the past those veteran guys had been in the league a long time so they all had their own routine they would stick to.”
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