Thrust into one of the stranger spots in recent quarterback history, Jarrett Stidham could not elevate the No. 1-seeded Broncos to Super Bowl LX after receiving an 11th-hour assignment. The Patriots eked out a 10-7 victory in the AFC championship game, one that devolved into a snowy mess by the third quarter.
Stidham, who also committed a costly fumble in the first half of that game, needed to start after Bo Nix went down with a fractured ankle late in the AFC divisional round. One season remains on Stidham’s Broncos contract, and clubs are checking in on the Denver QB2’s trade availability, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.
Sean Payton talked up Stidham shortly after announcing Nix was done for the season, and the QB had moments in a winnable game. Stidham found Marvin Mims deep in the first quarter to set up a Courtland Sutton touchdown strike. Stidham was 17-for-31 for 133 yards, throwing an interception as the blizzard hit. Neither Stidham nor Drake Maye fared well in the blizzard conditions, and interested teams may be giving the veteran backup a pass due to the conditions.
Payton pitted Nix against Stidham and Zach Wilson for the starting job during the 2024 offseason. Nix landed the gig, and Stidham expressed disappointment by saying he viewed himself as a starter. Payton echoed that following Nix’s injury nearly 18 months later, indicating he had two first-stringers on his roster. The Broncos had signed Stidham hours into Payton’s first free agency, giving the ex-Patriot and Raider backup a two-year, $10MM deal in 2023 to back up Russell Wilson. They re-signed him (2/12) in 2025.
Stidham’s $5.5MM 2026 base salary carries a $2MM guarantee. The Broncos could create $6.5MM in cap space by trading the seven-year veteran. Denver has been linked to multiple cost-cutting moves, including a possible Ben Powers trade, before the 2026 league year. It would still be a bit surprising, given Payton’s ties to Stidham, if the team moved on. A chance as an inexpensive bridge QB somewhere could await, though, and Stidham’s name did come up at the 2024 trade deadline. Stidham will play an age-30 season in 2026; Nix is expected to be ready for Denver’s offseason program.
Before Nix’s ill-timed injury, Stidham had become known for being inserted into starting lineups as AFC West teams shelved their starters for financial purposes. The Raiders benched Derek Carr before the 2022 season finale, setting up a separation, and the Broncos did the same with Russell Wilson — at the same juncture of the season — in 2023. Stidham made four starts for the Raiders and Broncos to close out those campaigns, catching Payton’s interest with an impressive showing against the 49ers in Week 17 of the ’22 season. Stidham had not started a game between Week 18 of the ’23 campaign and this year’s AFC championship game.
The Jets may be a team to watch for Stidham, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. GM Darren Mougey was in Denver when the team initially signed the former Patriots draftee. Expected to release Justin Fields and lacking a realistic path to drafting Fernando Mendoza No. 1 overall, the Jets may be looking at lower-cost vets in free agency or through a trade. Backup Tyrod Taylor‘s two-year, $12MM deal is also up, though Taylor is possibly still in the team’s plans for 2026.
Naturally, he put out such impressive tape from AFC title game!
That AFC Championship game was low-scoring in a Colorado snowstorm.
Jets should pass.
Please trade him
Says a lot about how teams feel about the QB draft class after Mendoza lol