Should the Broncos re-sign QB Jarrett Stidham?

Should the Broncos re-sign Jarrett Stidham to be Bo Nix’s backup?

One of Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s first moves when taking over the team was signing veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham to a two-year, $10 million deal. At the time, he was the backup quarterback for Russell Wilson, but Payton had the belief that Stidham had the talent to become a starting quarterback in the NFL. Stidham would earn that opportunity at the end of the 2023 NFL season when he started the final two games for the Broncos. He looked alright in his two starts but didn’t do enough to stop the team from making a serious investment at the quarterback position during the offseason.

The Broncos would go on to select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix at 12th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, but Stidham was still receiving first-team reps ahead of Nix and Zach Wilson. When the team entered camp, Stidham was the one under center with the first team offense while the other two rotated in the following days.

In the end, we know Nix won the job and ended up having a breakout rookie season while Stidham served as his backup for all 18 games the team played. Now, Stidham heads into the offseason as a pending free agent and the Broncos have a decision to make. Should they re-sign Stidham to be Bo Nix’s backup, or will they let him walk and look elsewhere this offseason?

Why the Broncos will re-sign QB Jarrett Stidham

Stidham was hand-picked by Sean Payton to be insurance for Russell Wilson and he has spoken positively about him multiple times to the media. Payton trusted him to be the QB1 throughout the entire offseason program last year and through the start of training camp. Stidham pushed Nix for the starting job and by all accounts, had a solid camp despite ultimately losing the starting gig to the rookie quarterback. It just seems like Payton trusts Stidham and believes he can step in and run his offense if the starter were to go down.

While Stidham may not be viewed as a top backup quarterback, he has proven he can be a competent spot starter in limited action. Adding that with Payton’s trust in him, you have everything you look for in a veteran backup quarterback. He knows the system, the head coach trusts him, and he can come in and run the offense.

On top of all that, he and Nix, along with Zach Wilson have bonded this season and have formed a friendship. Nix told reporters during the season that both Stidham and Wilson helped him tremendously throughout the season and that they are a close group.

“It’s really important. Those two guys have helped me tremendously. They’ve been great friends to me and great guys that have my back, that sort of thing off the field. Obviously, we’ve been able to have relationships off the field with our wives and things like that, so we’re just a close group. I think that plays an important role as this season goes on and gets longer and longer.”

A strong bond between teammates helps build a winning culture which Payton is currently creating with the Broncos. So, it would make sense for the two sides to have some mutual interest in keeping that tandem together moving forward.

Why the Broncos will not re-sign QB Jarrett Stidham

You would think Stidham would be a logical candidate to re-sign with the Broncos. It is unlikely that another team would value him more than the Broncos and Sean Payton clearly trusts him and views him as a capable quarterback in this league. The only thing stopping Stidham from re-signing would be the Broncos deciding to move forward with Zach Wilson as their backup instead of Stidham.

The Broncos acquired Wilson before the draft and he served as the Broncos third-string quarterback throughout the year. He never factored into the starting competition and never passed Stidham for the number two job, but does offer more potential and upside moving forward.

Stidham is who he is at this point and you know what you’re getting. A capable spot starter who can be a borderline top-tier backup quarterback for you moving forward. Wilson on the other hand has more starting experience than Nix and Stidham combined, is a former number two overall pick, and has elite arm talent and athleticism. His upside and potential are higher than Stidham’s and could be a continued developmental project for Payton moving forward. If Payton and quarterback’s coach Davis Webb were able to get the most out of Wilson, he could be used as a trade chip down the road.

So, If Wilson impressed the Broncos coaches this season, he could be the one they choose to re-sign while letting Stidham hit free agency. Outside of that, I don’t see the team moving on from both players and adding new blood to the quarterback room.

Final Thoughts

If I had to guess, I believe Stidham is the one who re-signs with the Broncos this offseason. Payton trusts him to run his offense, he knows the offense well and gives Nix a veteran quarterback to lean on as he enters his first full offseason in the NFL. It would make sense for the two sides to have a mutual interest in re-signing this offseason.

I’ll have my full thoughts on Zach Wilson tomorrow (spoiler alert), but he is more of the wildcard here. We don’t know what kind of impression he made with the team this season and of the two players, Wilson probably gets more attention on the free agent market. So, despite the higher upside, I think he has a better chance of leaving this offseason.

In the end, I believe Stidham has the edge here, but only slightly when it comes to who will be re-signed. What do you think Broncos Country? Should the Broncos re-sign Stidham this offseason or look elsewhere for their backup quarterback?