Who is Jarrett Stidham? This is the Broncos starting QB in the Conference Championship Game against the Patriots

Jarrett Stidham isn’t a household name...yet. But on Sunday, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, the Denver Broncos will turn to the quarterback who has spent most of his NFL career in the background. After Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle late in the Divisional Round, Stidham was suddenly thrust into the most important start of his professional life: the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots.

Stidham’s unexpected path to playoff starter

Stidham’s football journey has not been linear. A former highly touted recruit, he began his college career at Baylor before transferring to Auburn, where he became a two-year starter in the SEC. While his numbers weren’t eye-popping, scouts valued his arm strength, composure and experience against elite competition.

That combination led the New England Patriots to select Stidham in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. At the time, some wondered whether he might eventually be groomed as Tom Brady’s successor. Obviously, that plan never came to fruition.

Stidham spent three seasons in New England mostly on the bench, appearing sparingly and never earning a start. After Brady’s departure, the Patriots turned to Cam Newton and later Mac Jones, leaving Stidham buried on the depth chart.

In 2022, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders, reuniting with Josh McDaniels. There, he finally received his first two NFL starts late in the season. The results were mixed, wuth flashes of arm talent paired with costly mistakes, but they were enough to keep him in the league.

Denver signed Stidham in 2023 to serve as veteran depth. He made two late-season starts that year after Russell Wilson was benched, splitting those games and showing steady, if unspectacular, play. Then came Bo Nix.

The Broncos drafted Nix in the first round in 2024, pushing Stidham back into the familiar role of backup. For most of the season, his job was simply to be ready if needed. And that moment couldn’t have arrived in more dramatic fashion last weekend.

With Nix injured on the second-to-last play of Denver’s Divisional Round win, head coach Sean Payton confirmed Stidham would start moving forward, including Sunday’s championship showdown against the Pats.

Stidham’s career stats are modest with limited starts, an even touchdown-to-interception ratio, and long stretches without meaningful snaps. Very few quarterbacks have made their first start of a season in a conference championship game, and even fewer have won.

Despite the lack of recent game action, however, the Broncos believe Stidham gives them a chance. He knows Payton’s system, has years of experience in NFL locker rooms, and has faced pressure situations before, even if none quite to this scale. Perhaps most importantly, Denver’s path to the Super Bowl won’t rest solely on his arm. The Broncos boast one of the league’s best defenses, a strong run game, and the advantage of playing at altitude in Denver.

Most quarterbacks never get a chance like this. Whether Stidham seizes it or not, his name is now part of the story. From long-term backup to the Broncos’ unlikely hope, Jarrett Stidham will take the field with everything at stake but nothing to lose.

The Broncos and Patriots kick off at 3 p.m. ET from Empower Field at Mile High. You can follow along with all our live coverage of the game right here on AS USA.

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