On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos (7-8) confirmed quarterback Russell Wilson has been benched. Jarrett Stidham will start instead on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Here’s what to know about the former backup:
1. Coming out of high school, he was ranked ahead of a league MVP
Stidham was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. In fact, 247Sports rated him as the No. 4 QB recruit in 2015, ahead of Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson, the 2019 NFL MVP (and leading candidate for the 2023 award). In two seasons at Stephenville High School in Stephenville, Texas, he threw for 5,547 yards and accounted for 94 TDs (65 passing and 29 rushing).
2. He briefly served as a high school scout-team QB
Before transferring from Baylor to Auburn in 2017, Stidham enrolled at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, a school without a football program. To stay sharp, he served as a local high school’s scout-team QB.
“[He] never missed a day [of] practice,” Midway High School head coach Jeff Hulme told ESPN’s Tim Keown in 2020. “Best scout-team quarterback I ever had.”
3. He’s a Tom Brady disciple
Stidham — a New England Patriots backup from 2019-21 — was Brady’s teammate for one season. He said the seven-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Famer was a great mentor.
“It was priceless,” he told ESPN’s Mike Reiss in January 2020. “He’s a phenomenal teammate, a phenomenal person, obviously a phenomenal player. There was just so much that I got to learn from him. He was obviously very open to me about stuff that he’s thought about the game of football and stuff like that.”
4. Sean Payton thinks he could become a starter
In March, the Broncos signed Stidham — who played in 2022 with the Raiders — to a two-year, $10M contract with little fanfare. However, the Denver head coach called it “an important [signing]” and raved about his upside.
“There were a handful of No. 2s that either I had worked with, or we felt comfortable with,” he said, per CBS Sports. “But in this case, I think it’s a No. 2 [where] his arrow’s moving in a direction where we feel like he can become an NFL starter in our league.”
5. He joined rare company in his first start
Last season, the 27-year-old made his first start in Week 17 after the Las Vegas Raiders benched longtime starter Derek Carr. Stidham exceeded expectations.
In a 37-34 loss to the San Francisco 49ers — who allowed the fewest points (277) in the league in 2022 — Stidham completed 23 of 34 passes for 365 yards, three TDs, two picks and an above-average 108.1 passer rating.
The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider noted he was the second QB since 1950 to throw for 350 or more yards and three TDs in his starting debut.
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