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The Denver Broncos‘ fantastic 2025 season came to a tragic end on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. Defense dominated the day and the No. 2 seed New England Patriots survived a fourth-quarter blizzard at Empower Field for the 10-7 win.
The weather wasn’t the only factor in Denver’s downfall. Without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a season-ending broken ankle in the Divisional Round, the team had to turn to backup Jarrett Stidham and he unfortunately did not meet the moment.
Jarrett Stidham was a mixed bag in his emergency playoff start
The 29-year-old hadn’t made an NFL start since 2024 and the rust in his true game action was hard to miss. Stidham threw for 133 yards, one touchdown and two turnovers that proved costly. He essentially fumbled the ball in the first half (what was called a backwards pass recovered by the defense), allowing New England to tie the game at 7-7. He then aired out a pass late in the blizzard-impacted fourth quarter that resulted in the game-sealing interception for the Patriots.
“That was just a really poor decision by Stidham there.” – Tony Romo pic.twitter.com/iWsHqxZy3P
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 25, 2026
So, with Denver’s season officially over, the team has an important decision to make regarding Stidham’s future. He may be just a backup but his roster spot could make all the difference going forward.
Jarrett Stidham’s contract situation
The seventh-year NFL veteran signed a two-year, $12 million extension with the Broncos entering the 2025 season. His deal cost Denver a little over $4 million against the salary cap this year, but if he’s retained for the next campaign, he’ll cost $8 million towards the cap.
That’s a significant hit considering he put up a so-so performance on the biggest stage and would continue to sit behind Nix on the depth chart.
On top of that, Stidham was only paid a little under $2 million in base salary for 2025 and is owed just under $6 million next year. He’d be a significant investment with diminishing returns on an expiring deal.
Should the Broncos trade or cut Jarrett Stidham?
Denver’s front office will have to evaluate some options and general manager George Paton should probably start making calls ahead of the NFL Draft in April.
Trading Stidham would save the Broncos a considerable amount of money compared to just cutting him ($6.5 million compared to $4.5 million). But finding a suitable trade partner could prove to be a challenge. There aren’t many starting-caliber QBs in this year’s draft outside of Heisman Trophy-winner Fernando Mendoza. The rest will likely find themselves in the same position as Stidham, riding the bench and doing it for a lot cheaper.
That being said, some teams may want to turn to a veteran instead of being one bad play from handing the keys to a rookie.
The Green Bay Packers will probably lose Malik Willis to a hefty pay day in free agency. The New York Giants will certainly let Russell Wilson walk after his one-year deal expires (but Jameis Winston is expected to return to back up Jaxson Dart). And the Pittsburgh Steelers will need to sort out their QB situation with Aaron Rodgers likely retiring.
There will be a market, it’ll just come down to Paton’s ability to sell Stidham to suitors with just a one-game sample size and anecdotal evidence.
Will Bo Nix be healthy for the 2026 season?
After undergoing surgery to repair his broken ankle, Nix is expected be ready for football activities after 12 weeks. That means he’s expected to be healthy for the start of Denver’s 2026 offseason programs with or without Stidham as his understudy.
The 14-win passer shouldn’t have any worry of losing his starting job to anybody, Stidham included, so Broncos fans can breathe easy given Nix doesn’t suffer any setbacks over the next three months.
