The last time Jarrett Stidham attempted a pass in an NFL game, it came at the end of a Week 18 Denver Broncos’ loss to the Las Vegas Raiders during the 2023 season. Stidham had been named the team’s starting quarterback down the stretch by head coach Sean Payton over Russell Wilson — before the team was even eliminated from playoff contention — and started the final three games of the season for the Broncos.

The next pass Stidham throws will be among the biggest of his career.

For the past two seasons Stidham has served as the backup in Denver, the understudy to young Bo Nix. But the understudy becomes the main player this weekend, as Stidham will step into the starting lineup for the AFC Championship Game with a trip to Super Bowl LX on the line.

And he will start against the team that drafted him.

Jarrett Stidham becomes a Patriot

The 2019 NFL Draft quarterback class was an interesting group, to say the least.

Kyler Murray was the first-overall selection that spring, drafted by the Arizona Cardinals to begin the night. Daniel Jones parlayed a strong week in Mobile during the Senior Bowl into the sixth-overall pick by the New York Giants, and the late Dwayne Haskins came off the board at No. 15 to Washington.

But on the third day of the draft, the New England Patriots continued something of a trend. Despite having Tom Brady entrenched as the starter, the Patriots often drafted quarterbacks during the legendary passer’s tenure. That trend continued at pick No. 133, as they drafted Stidham.

Stidham’s college career began at Baylor, where he took over as the team’s starting quarterback during his true freshman season when starter Seth Russell went down with a neck injury. But after his freshman year ended with an injury of his own, and head coach Art Briles being dismissed from the team as part of an investigation into sexual abuse at the school, Stidham left Baylor.

And spent a year at McLennan Community College, where he did not play football.

But he returned to the game, and moved to the SEC, for the 2017 season with a transfer to Auburn. Stidham was the team’s starting quarterback for both 2017 and 2018, compiling a 18-9 record as a starter and throwing for 36 touchdowns, against 11 interceptions.

That earned him an invitation to the 2019 Senior Bowl, along with Jones, where he met a very nervous writer one day after practice:

For reference, Stidham is listed at 6’3. Do with that information what you will …

But when it came time for the Patriots to make their pick at No. 133, they turned in a card with Stidham’s name on it.

Bill Belichick delivered the news with his customary flair for the dramatic:

Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ current offensive coordinator, was in that role when the Patriots selected Stidham. Here is what he thought of the Auburn prospect.

“Very consistent guy. Smart. Good personality,” McDaniels said after the 2019 NFL Draft. “Asks good questions. Has a mind for football. Just a sponge right now, trying to soak up everything he can.

“Good demeanor, and I’m looking forward to getting out on the field and getting an opportunity to work with him actually playing the position.”

Jarrett Stidham’s journey to Denver

Stidham’s Patriots tenure lasted three seasons.

He spent his rookie campaign as the backup behind Brady, seeing limited action in what would be the legendary quarterback’s final year in Foxborough. But when Brady made his decision to leave New England for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the spring of 2020, and the Patriots did not draft a quarterback that year, it looked as if Stidham was the heir apparent.

Especially to that writer he chatted with down in Mobile the prior year.

But the thing about plans is this: They change. Despite looking like the successor to Brady in the spring, with summer came a new quarterback in New England, and a new plan for the Patriots. Cam Newton was signed in July and named the team’s starting quarterback in September ahead of the season, with Stidham relegated to the No. 3 role behind Newton and veteran Brian Hoyer.

He played sparingly, coming on in relief of Newton in some blowouts at the end of hte season, but the writing seemed on the wall.

That writing grew more prominent the following spring, when the Patriots drafted Mac Jones with the 15th selection in the 2021 NFL Draft. Stidham missed the bulk of the 2021 season with a back injury, and despite being activated late in the year, he did not see the field.

He was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders the following spring, in a reunion with McDaniels who had taken over as the Raiders head coach, as well as former Patriots director of player personnel Dave Ziegler, who had joined the Raiders as their new general manager.

While he began that year as the backup quarterback behind Derek Carr, Stidham stepped into the starting lineup over the final few games of the year, as the Raiders shut Carr down in part due to an injury guarantee in his contract.

In those two games — both Raiders losses — Stidham completed 45-of-69 passes for 584 yards and four touchdowns, along with three interceptions. That included a 365-yard effort against the San Francisco 49ers, who would advance to the NFC Championship Game a few weeks later.

Those two games, including the one against San Francisco, earned him a new champion.

The new Broncos head coach made signing Stidham a “priority” during the 2023 offseason, and after the move Payton pointed to the game against San Francisco as a big reason why.

“I think he’s young, but I think he’s someone that we had a good grade on coming out,” Payton said in March of 2023. “We like the player. I think he played well in the two starts he had this year.”

Payton then made something of a bold prediction.

“In this case, I think, it’s a No. 2 that his arrow is moving in a direction where we feel like he can become an NFL starter in our league,” Payton said. “So, the evaluation was pretty crystal clear for all of us. I think he’s someone that’s going to be great in the room. He’s smart. And, so, that was quietly an important [signing] for us.”

Later in the press conference, Payton returned to Stidham.

“I think there’s upside in this player,” Payton said. “I think there’s certain players that we saw in free agency — and can they come in and play and start, yes?

“I think you get that you get with Jarrett, but I also think you get a player who’s still ascending.”

While the Broncos had also acquired Russell Wilson via trade ahead of the 2023 season, Stidham again earned starts down the stretch in place of a veteran quarterback whose time had drawn to a close with his current team. Stidham stepped into the starting lineup in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers — while the Broncos were still in the playoff hunt — and led Denver to a 16-9 win. In that game he completed 20-of-32 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown, without an interception.

Denver was eliminated from playoff contention, and the Raiders beat the Broncos in Week 18.

Then the Broncos moved on from Wilson, added Nix in the draft, and turned to the rookie for the 2024 campaign. But despite entertaining other options for the 2025 season, Stidham returned to Denver, and Payton.

Not only did Nix praise the move, but so did Payton.

“He’s been great to have all year. He’s taught me a lot about not only our scheme, but preparation and going against other teams,” Nix said of Stidham in early 2025. “… He’s a great guy to lean on, to talk to and get some information from. He works just as hard as I do. We’re out here competing together and wanting to put a good product on the field.”

“He brings a veteran presence, but also a young presence about him,” said Payton last year. “I know how he feels about his own abilities. We had a great room a year ago. You guys know that. It was probably unrealistic to think that we were going to have both [Dolphins QB] Zach [Wilson] and Jarrett back. So I want to see those guys obviously have success. They’re both talented players, and I think that process… I think the experience from Jarrett is helpful to [QB] Bo [Nix].”

In fact, Denver even turned down a “pretty good ransom” for Stidham in a trade.

Sunday, they might be glad they did.

What to expect from Jarrett Stidham

Now that Stidham is in line to start the AFC Championship Game for the Broncos, Denver fans are wondering what to expect.

Payton set the marker on Saturday night, after announcing that Nix was out for the rest of the season due to his fractured ankle.

“It’s our three years here and our three years watching him day in and day out that you guys don’t have access to,” Payton said following Denver’s win over the Buffalo Bills. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”

The veteran head coach pointed to Stidham’s accuracy, as well as his mental makeup.

“One of Stiddy’s great strengths is his mental aptitude and his progression and understanding plays,” Payton said. “There would be practices where I’m looking at [Defensive Coordinator] Vance [Joseph] getting [mad], because Stiddy’s making our defense look bad. He’s very accurate. He’s got a lot to his ball.”

Speaking more about Stidham on Wednesday, Payton said that Denver’s backup quarterback was going to go out there and “rip it” on Sunday against the team that drafted him.

“That’s his personality. He’s gonna rip it, you know?” Payton said Wednesday. “That’ll be our approach. He’s got this calm demeanor that I think suits him well. He’s played in big games (in) college. You know, I said this at the start of the season, I felt like our two was inside the best 32. I think everyone feels that way, but that’s why that signing was important. And you don’t know when it’s happening but I’m glad it happened.”

About the team that drafted him, Mike Vrabel outlined on Monday that New England, due to McDaniels’ return to Foxborough, tried to acquire Stidham in the offseason to back up Drake Maye. Vrabel even recalled some of what makes Stidham a threat dating back to his time with the Tennessee Titans.

“Going back to when Josh had him and playing against that, just think he sees things really well,” Vrabel said of Stidham. “I think he’s athletic enough to extend, like we talk about a lot of quarterbacks, the accuracy, I think the decision-making. You know, he’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched. And this is even going back to when I was in Tennessee as well.”

Stidham’s first NFL offensive coordinator shared some praise as well on Thursday:

If nothing else, it will make for an amazing atmosphere Sunday in Denver.

Oh, and returning to that last NFL throw Stidham attempted in a regular season game? Coming at the end of the 2023 season?

It was intercepted by the Raiders.

Broncos fans are hoping for something much different on Sunday.

Their coach believes something different will happen as well.