Broncos Backup QB Breaks Silence on Replacing Russell Wilson

Just like last year, Jarrett Stidham is getting a chance to ply his wares after his team benched an entrenched starter. Shortly after the news broke of the Denver Broncos' decision to bench 12th-year veteran quarterback Russell Wilson, Stidham was thrust onto the podium to face the music.

Off the cuff, Stidham shared his outlook after head coach Sean Payton placed the starting mantle on his shoulders for this week's home tilt vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.

“Obviously, I think I can speak for almost anybody that plays in the NFL, but your goal and objective is to always get out onto the field and play," Stidham said on Wednesday. "And that’s what my goal has always been, and that’s how I’ve always prepared myself and so forth. Sean brought me up in his office this morning and told me I was going to start this week, so just keep preparing like I have been my whole career and get ready to go.”

The salacious report of the Broncos threatening to bench Wilson unless he was willing to restructure certain elements of his contract has ripped across the interwebs, casting Coach Payton in a different light than he tried to portray at the podium on Wednesday. Stidham was obviously elated to be given the starting nod, as Payton said he's "anxious" to see him play, but he had nothing but good things to say about Wilson.

“Look, I can’t speak highly enough of Russ," Stidham said. "Tremendous teammate, tremendous competitor. I’ve been extremely fortunate in my career to be around some incredible human beings and incredible quarterbacks, and he obviously fits that category, so today has obviously been a tough day, but we’ve had great interactions today and that sort of thing. Like I said, I can’t speak highly enough about him.”

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The Broncos are hoping that Stidham's exposure to some bonafide quarterback pedigrees has rubbed off by osmosis. Stidham was a New England Patriots fourth-round pick back in 2019, which was Tom Brady's final season there.

Last year, Stidham backed up Derek Carr in Las Vegas. It also happened to be Carr's final season with the team that drafted him. Throw in Wilson, who may have lost the benefit of the doubt of the Broncos as an organization, but he'd built a Hall-of-Fame-caliber resume long before he ever landed in Denver by virtue of the prolific decade he spent in Seattle.

While there are many moving parts relative to why the Broncos benched Wilson, including his contract and his play, the reality is the team failed to capitalize on back-to-back must-win games. Dating back to the beginning of the season, the Broncos' offense has been mostly a sputtering affair, punctuated occasionally by miraculous big plays in the clutch, orchestrated by an off-script Wilson.

Offensively, the Broncos have looked like they're asleep at the wheel, and Payton is hoping that Stidham can give the unit a "spark" that will secure not only an eighth win of the season, but a ninth. Maybe, just maybe — if the AFC stars align and the Broncos get a lot of help from the football fates, two wins to close out the season will be enough to qualify for a Wildcard spot in the playoffs.

Stidham knows what Payton is looking for and is ready to try to meet that expectation. But the fifth-year quarterback is trying to maintain his perspective and also the weekly "routine" he believes has served him throughout his NFL career.

“I don’t think I need to overthink it," Stidham said. "Just do what I’m coached to do. We have a great staff and a great group of guys around me, so I’m just going to do my job to the best of my ability, do the certain things that I need to do on each and every play, move the ball down the field, and hopefully score a lot of points, and get a win.”

Shortly after moving into his office at Dove Valley, Payton moved to sign Stidham to a two-year, $10 million deal. The head coach said, "Quietly, that was an important sign for us."

Even though Stidham is under contract with the Broncos next year, these next two games will be huge for his long-term outlook. Still, he's keeping his focus on the immediate, outside of a big family development happening in the spring.

“I’m not really focused too much down the road," Stidham said. "The only thing down the road I’m remotely concerned about is having a baby boy in April. Right now, I’m focused on this week against the Chargers.”

Stidham has appeared in 14 games as a pro with two starts (both with the Raiders), totaling 926 passing yards and six touchdowns, with seven interceptions. Last year, although he lost both starts, he passed for 656 yards and four touchdowns with three interceptions.

One of those starts was against San Francisco's No. 1-ranked defense, which was a huge selling point for Payton and the Broncos. Stidham acquitted himself well and turned in a pair of admirable performances, but there's little about his NFL resume that screams 'upgrade' relative to Wilson.

Payton would beg to differ. And at the very least, the head coach believes that Stidham gives the Broncos a chance to win on Sunday, and combined with all of the other mitigating factors in Wilson's demotion, that's enough to give him the nod. But this is the type of controversial decision that could blow up in the coach's face.

However, Payton's resume is dotted with one QB success story after another, headlined by Drew Brees' future Hall-of-Fame career. The Wilson situation may have put a black eye of sorts on Payton's 'QB whisperer' profile, but now it's up to Stidham to win some of that clout back for his under-fire head coach.

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