The Denver Broncos have likely already made their biggest move of the offseason. They agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Saints to bring in head coach Sean Payton to replace Nathaniel Hackett.
Hackett’s only season in Denver was a disaster. The team went 5-12 and their star acquisition last offseason, quarterback Russell Wilson, struggled mightily. Wilson had the least productive season of his career as the Seattle Seahawks look to be the big winners receiving five draft picks and three players in exchange for the multi-time Pro Bowler.
Payton’s No. 1 job this season is trying to get Wilson back on track. 2023 is a do-or-die season for him as the Broncos can move on from him a little easier next offseason should the need arise. Looking to cover all of their bases, the Broncos have jumped into free agency early, snagging a quarterback for insurance behind Wilson.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Broncos have agreed to a deal with Jarrett Stidham. The two sides have worked out a two-year, $10 million deal that includes $5 million in guarantees and $4 million more in upside.
Rapoport reports that Stidham chose to play for Payton over other options that were available to him. It also means that he is going to be working with Davis Webb once again, who Stidham has known since he was a teenager and was hired this offseason to be the Broncos quarterbacks coach.
Stidham was a fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent last season with the Las Vegas Raiders and made the first two starts of his career. Despite going 0-2, he played relatively well, completing 64.3% of his passes for 584 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.
He did enough that the Broncos pounced on him early in free agency, making him one of the first players to agree to a deal. He will take over the backup job behind Wilson from Brett Rypien, but should things go awry again, Stidham could receive a shot to start games down the line.
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