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DENVER, CO - JANUARY 17: Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) warms up before the AFC Divisional Round game against the Buffalo Bills at Empower Field at Mile High on January 17, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Revisiting Jarrett Stidham's Confident Comment About Being a QB1

Originally posted on Denver Broncos on SI
By Chad Jensen | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 6:26 PM ET

Since joining the Denver Broncos as a free agent in 2023, quarterback Jarrett Stidham has always done what was asked of him. When called upon, he's answered the bell.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been consistent in his public portrayal of Stidham: he's a starting-caliber quarterback serving in a No. 2 role. Now is Stidham's time to prove his coach right, with Bo Nix out for what remains of the playoffs with a broken ankle.

Following the release of Russell Wilson in the spring of 2024, the Broncos would go on to draft Nix in the first round. An open competition for the starting job ensued, but before it began in earnest, Stidham showed initiative as a leader to gather his fellow quarterbacks and receivers for a passing retreat during the offseason.

Once again, Stidham's leadership at the position provided a great example to Nix, especially as a rookie. Cut to August of that summer, and Nix won the competition, relegating Stidham to a backup role.

In his first opportunity to speak after the news that Nix would be the starter had broken, Stidham expressed his disappointment while emphasizing his support of his rookie teammate and friend, offering up all his knowledge and experience — including what he gleaned as Tom Brady's backup in 2019 — to Nix.

"I feel like I have a very unique experience, playing behind—in my opinion—the best quarterback to ever play and seeing what that was like day in and day out, and being behind some other really, really good players and coaches as well," Stidham said on August 25, 2024. "Obviously, I’m going to do whatever I can to help Bo get prepared. I’m going to help him whatever way I can, and then also be ready to go if I need to be.”

Echoing the sentiments of his head coach, Stidham also expressed his self-belief in his ability to be an NFL starting quarterback.

"I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that, and it just didn’t shake out my way," Stidham said. "I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am. Like I said earlier, I’ll be ready to go if I need to be... I have no doubts that I’m a starting-caliber quarterback in this league."

Only a few short weeks later, Nix became the Broncos' first rookie quarterback to start the regular-season opener since John Elway in 1983. Nix would go on a historic rookie tear, finishing with 3,775 passing yards and 29 touchdowns, leading all first-year signal-callers in those statistical areas, and leading the Broncos to their first double-digit-win season and playoff berth since 2015.

Nix picked up where he left off in Year 2, and the results speak for themselves. The Broncos secured the AFC West crown, clinched the AFC's No. 1 seed, and won their first playoff game in a decade.

Stidham Poised to Make History

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Nix has been so consistent and prolific that Stidham hasn't been able to get a snap in edgewise, so to speak. With Nix now done for the season with a broken right ankle, Stidham is set to become the first quarterback in NFL history to start the conference championship game without having thrown a pass at any point in the season.

In Stidham's case, make that two seasons without throwing a pass in a meaningful game. He balled out in the 2025 preseason, though, passing for 376 yards and four touchdowns.

Jarrett Stidham goes long to Trent Sherfield Sr.

TOUCHDOWN

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As a Bronco, Stidham did start two games at the end of the 2023 season, after the Broncos had benched Wilson. Stidham won one game and lost another, but passed for 496 yards and two touchdowns in those two games, with one interception.

Payton expressed his confidence in Stidham from the podium on Saturday and again on Sunday during a conference call with the media, highlighting the Broncos' resilience this season and how they've managed to overcome a mountain of adversity to win 15 games thus far. This situation will be no different.

Broncos Will Close Ranks Around Stidham

Since arriving as head coach three years ago, Payton has cultivated a winning culture in Denver, but no coach can perfectly predict how quickly a locker room will buy in or how quickly they'll come together as a team. Even in the summer of 2024, evidence of the Broncos' locker room's close-knit nature was already apparent, and that bond has only grown in the 36 games since, counting playoffs.

“There are 91 guys in this locker room. We’re all in here for one common goal, and that’s to win games," Stidham said in August of 2024. "This is an extremely close team. I’ve always tried to be the best teammate I could possibly be under the circumstances. I’ll always be.”

The veracity of Stidham's vow was evidenced in the photo that Izzy Nix — Bo's wife — took in the hallway outside the stadium locker room on Saturday, which showed her husband sitting on the ground, back against the wall, surrounded by Stidham, fellow quarterback Sam Ehlinger, Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, and Bo's father, Patrick, as the confirmation of his broken ankle sunk in.

Stidham has been there for Nix. And he'll continue to support his friend, with whom he has a history dating back to 2018 at Auburn.

Why Stidham's Two-Year Old Comments Matter

We've heard Payton say that Stidham could be a starter on a "number" of NFL teams. What the Broncos need now is a quarterback to step in for Nix who believes in himself as much as he does his teammates.

Stidham doesn't have the same blood-on-the-field history that his Broncos teammates share with Nix, but he's been there the whole time, not only supporting the starter but preparing every single day as if he'll be the starter.

Stidham now steps into a situation every quarterback dreams of since they were kids, throwing the football in the street with buddies and making believe they're playing in a championship game or a Super Bowl. It's an immense privilege that Nix's sacrifices have afforded Stidham, and a heavy responsibility.

Will Stidham be equal to his opportunity? He's literally waited his entire life for this moment.

Payton said, "Watch out." I just can't believe Stidham will let this rare opportunity slip through his fingers, especially going against the team that drafted and then traded him away in the AFC Championship Game.

If you thought this Broncos season has been wild. Buckle up. We ain't seen nothing yet.