DENVER — If any other NFL team is familiar with Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham, it’s the New England Patriots, who drafted him in 2019 to serve as Tom Brady’s backup.
And when Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels left New England for the second time to take the Las Vegas Raiders’ head coaching job in 2022, he traded for Stidham — who backed up Derek Carr for one season before signing with Denver, where he first served as Russell Wilson’s understudy and has held the same role behind Bo Nix for two years running.
After McDaniels returned to New England for his third stint as offensive coordinator during the most recent offseason, the Patriots were interested in a reunion with Stidham, but he chose to stay in Colorado.
And now, with Nix recovering from surgery after breaking his right ankle on Denver’s winning drive in overtime against the Buffalo Bills last weekend, Stidham is stepping in behind center for the top-seeded Broncos as they host the second-seeded Patriots in the AFC championship game Sunday afternoon at Empower Field at Mile High. The winner of the 3 p.m. Eastern matchup, which will be televised by CBS and streamed on Paramount Plus, advances to Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Although Nix was integral to Denver’s success this season — he engineered six comebacks in the fourth quarter or overtime and led the team to an NFL-best 12-2 record in one-score games — his coaches and teammates insist they’re equally confident Stidham can lead them to the franchise’s first appearance in the NFL’s big game since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 a decade ago.