Jarrett Stidham To Remain Broncos’ QB2

Stidham, whom New England took in the fourth round of the 2019 draft, was once considered the likely successor to Tom Brady. However, he never started a game for the Patriots, who traded him to the Raiders in a late-round pick swap in 2022. Stidham made his first two starts subbing in for Derek Carr, whose Raiders stint came to an unceremonious end, and the Broncos saw enough positives to bring him in on a two-year, $10MM contract in 2023.

To this point, Stidham’s only regular-season starts as a Bronco came when he replaced a benched Russell Wilson for the last two games of the 2023 campaign. Although then-rookie Bo Nix thwarted Stidham’s plans to win the No. 1 job the next season, he stuck around on another two-year agreement (worth $12MM) in ’25.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, they had no choice but to turn to Stidham in an AFC title game meeting with the Patriots last January. Nix broke his ankle on the second-last play of an overtime win over the Bills in the divisional round, giving Stidham a chance at revenge against his former team. The 30-year-old instead had no answer for the Patriots’ defense or the inclement weather in Denver. He finished 17 of 31 for 133 yards, a touchdown and two turnovers (interception, fumble) in a 10-7 loss.

Despite his rough outing against the Pats, Stidham is still a well-regarded backup around the league. Stidham drew trade interest during the offseason, but the Broncos held on and will keep him as their top option behind a healthy Nix.

Ehlinger yo-yoed between the Broncos’ practice squad and active roster last year, but he did not take a regular-season snap. While playing time wasn’t available with the Broncos, the former Colt had an opportunity to return to Indianapolis after starter Daniel Jones suffered an Achilles tear in December. Ehlinger turned it down (and past offers from other teams) because he is content in Denver, where he re-signed in March on a one-year, $2MM deal. He made their initial 53-man roster on Sunday.