ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Jarrett Stidham met Monday with his quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.
Exit interviews is what they call them.
For Stidham, it's a little different. He ended this Broncos season at the beginning of what he hopes will be more starting assignments to come.
“I’m very confident I can be the guy for us next year,'' Stidham said at his locker Monday. "I have no doubts about that. But I’m going to continue to work as hard as possible this offseason and learn as much as possible. I’m excited for the opportunity for sure.”
By itself, Stidham's two-game audition didn't wow Broncos Country into believing they have their next franchise quarterback. The bottom line is the Broncos only scored 16 and 14 points in Stidham's two starts. He won a 16-9 game against the banged-up Chargers' lost 27-14 to the Raiders.
But Stidham also showed good mobility and arm strength, a vertical passing game with a combined eight completions of 21 yards or more in two games, including six against the Raiders.
Head coach and play caller Sean Payton could be encouraged into thinking Stidham can operate the type of offense he prefers for at least the start of the 2024 season. For now, Stidham displayed enough promise to at least draw consideration as a bridge-type starting quarterback for the Broncos, especially if, say, the team uses their No. 12 overall draft pick on a quarterback.
“You definitely see everything,'' Stidham said about free agency in mid-March and the draft in late-April. "I’ve got buddies around the league and anxious to see where they go, that sort of thing but at the end of the day I’ll be back in April and ready to rock so I’m excited the opportunity to come back for sure.”
Stidham and his wife Kennedy and baby daughter will return to their offseason Texas home where they will soon welcome a baby boy. He has a personal trainer and quarterback coach there he'll work with.
He'll now bring four NFL starts in five seasons to his offseason -- two to finish the 2022 season with the Raiders and two more to finish the Broncos' season in 2023.
“I felt like I definitely grew in those two weeks,'' Stidham said. "It’s one thing to practice certain things but once you’re out there playing and making calls at the line and doing certain things and getting a feel for it in live action, felt like I definitely grew and looking forward to this spring.”
It was an awkward final two weeks for the Broncos as Payton benched the player who was supposed to be the franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson, in favor of Stidham. But it wasn't as awkward as it could have been had Wilson expressed bitterness during his interactions with Stidham.
"Super positive, super helpful,'' Stidham said of Wilson. "Anything he saw during the game or practice or while we’re watching film he was super helpful the entire time. I can’t speak highly enough about Russ and what he’s meant to the room this entire year. It was a lot of fun with him.”
The expectation is Wilson will be released before March 17. The Broncos will have to eat all but a fraction of his $39 million salary for 2024 which means the team may have to be budget- and salary cap-conscious with its next quarterback. Stidham is scheduled to make $6 million ($1 million is currently fully guaranteed) in 2024.
That's good money for a backup. Only Taylor Heinicke among backups is scheduled to make more. But Stidham would be extremely inexpensive for a starter -- at least 16 quarterbacks made more than $33 million in 2023.
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