Sean Payton Identifies an ‘Elite’ Trait in New Broncos QB1 Jarrett Stidham

The Broncos will be looking to use this to their advantage with Jarrett Stidham under center.

January 17, 2026: Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) has a laugh on the sideline in the AFC Divisional Round playoff football game between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills. Stidham will get the start in the AFC Championship game after starter Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in the win. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Since Bo Nix went down with a season-ending ankle injury, there have been countless references to backup quarterbacks who have succeeded in the NFL, especially in the playoffs. When something this shocking happens to a team of the Denver Broncos' caliber, the natural reaction is grasp at anything resembling historical precedent.

Jarrett Stidham will be the latest backup-turned-starting quarterback to have a chance at making some unique NFL history. He's set to be the first quarterback ever to start in a conference championship game without having thrown a single pass at any point in the season.

There are many concerns about Stidham taking over for Nix in the Broncos' AFC championship matchup against the New England Patriots. But it might encourage Broncos fans to learn that Stidham has at least one trait that Broncos head coach Sean Payton has identified as being "elite."

"Well, I would say it’s elite relative to, man, play concepts, in the huddle, there’s a calmness about him," Payton said via conference call on Thursday morning.

Stidham has three years of experience in Payton's offense. And Stidham is familiar with all the skill-position players around him, which, combined with his poise and understanding of the system, gives the Broncos a potential leg up vs. the Patriots.

Payton has been coaching quarterbacks in the NFL since 1997, and he's had more than one occasion when he's had to turn to a backup to relieve a starter and keep the ship afloat. He knows a quality backup when he sees one, which is why he made acquiring Stidham one of the top priorities of his coaching regime in Denver when he took the job back in 2023, and why he was re-signed last spring to a two-year deal.

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The Brunell Connection

Aug 29, 2009; Oakland, CA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Mark Brunell (11) throws a pass during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda Coliseum. The Saints defeated the Raiders 45-7. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

We often hear about Payton's track record with backups or once highly-touted quarterbacks who'd fallen from grace, only to have new life breathed into their careers courtesy of his tutelage. Names like Jameis Winston, Teddy Bridgewater, Trevor Siemian, and even Taysom Hill quickly spring to mind from Payton's time as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, but don't forget about Mark Brunell, the southpaw former Jacksonville Jaguars franchise quarterback.

By 2008, Brunell was pushing 40 when he signed with the Saints to serve as Drew Brees' backup. That experience coaching Brunell gave Payton a reference guide for backup quarterbacks, especially as it relates to poise in the storm, which can be transmitted to the players around him by osmosis.

"Now, I’m not making a comparison, and yet I’ll read 50 stories that I compared this player to Mark Brunell. I just can’t help it," Payton said of Stidham and Brunell. "I’m not making the comparison, but Brunell had this calmness about him when he was our [No.] 2. He’d step in the huddle... That’s why I loved back in the day when the backup quarterbacks were the holders. They were the last ones to talk to the kickers."

Payton lamented how, over time, punters usurped backup quarterbacks as teams' holders on field goals and extra points. He liked what a veteran quarterback, like Brunell, could bring to a high-pressure field-goal situations.

Brunell only started one game for the Saints during his two-year tenure backing up Brees, but he was the backup in New Orleans' Super Bowl XLIV championship. But Payton really valued and respected the "moxie" Brunell brought to the table and its calming effects, which he can't help but compare to Stidham.

"Brunell just had that moxie, and so if it wasn’t your starter and he stepped in, there was this smooth operation," Payton said. "I would say Stidham has that ability to step right in, calm things down, here’s what we’re doing, break the huddle. Yesterday’s practice was a perfect indication of it."

The Cadence Key

DENVER, CO - AUGUST 25: Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham (8) prepares to take the snap during an NFL, American Football Herren, USA preseason game between the Denver Broncos and the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver, CO on August 25, 2024. | Kevin Langley / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

To Payton, one key to the Broncos' offense transitioning to Stidham under center instead of Nix is the cadence at the line of scrimmage. If that gets interrupted or is slightly off, it can have cascading effects, like false starts. That's the last thing Denver needs in a conference championship game, but the early returns from practice are very encouraging, per Payton.

"The key was making sure, and I said this offensively, let’s not assume... The cadence is the cadence, but one beat off, and we could have a couple false starts, so focus on making sure," Payton said. "Typically, most teams in the league, as the starter gets ingrained in his cadence, it’s the others that begin to emulate it identically."

Payton went on to highlight Brett Favre's cadence with the Green Bay Packers, especially in the shotgun with his foot-forward approach, and how he stood. When Aaron Rodgers succeeded Favre in Green Bay, he copied the cadence, and that remains true with the Packers' current quarterback, Jordan Love.

It made for a much easier transition for the Packers because it eliminated the need for 10 other guys to learn something new, which could create many opportunities for things to go awry. Stidham and the Broncos are working this week to mimic Nix's cadence, to keep the offense on track.

"We’ve seen that passed down through the years," Payton said of Favre's cadence. "It’s interesting when you see certain traits like that, that may be not—like we’re not talking about throwing traits—but from a cadence standpoint, all of that was smooth yesterday.”

Getting All the Reps

So far, so good for Stidham. He's getting all the reps this week, which should help sharpen and prepare him for Sunday's game against a very good Patriots defense.

“Reps are obviously everything, but we practice full speed here," Stidham said on Wednesday. "That’s one thing that I love about Sean [Payton]... You try to make practice as hard as possible, that way, Sunday it’s not a shock. That’s how we practice here, and that’s how we’ll always practice here.”

Broncos Country can only hope that Stidham's command of the offense and his poise — or moxie — holds true on gameday. From there, it'll be about making the right pre-snap reads, good decisions with the ball, and executing.

Payton and the Broncos have the utmost confidence in Stidham's ability to do those things. And so does Nix, for that matter.