Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham may be several NFC contenders' Plan B QB2 option after the Las Vegas Raiders signed Kirk Cousins off the free agent market. Cousins is now expected to start until the Raiders' expected No. 1 overall draft pick, Fernando Mendoza, is ready.
Predominantly Orange's Sayre Bedinger sees the Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers being potential landing spots for Stidham to back up Matthew Stafford or Jordan Love, respectively, in 2026. Bedinger mentioned a potential draft pick as compensation.
"It's also been reported that teams like the Rams were interested in bringing in Kirk Cousins this offseason to be a backup. And they weren't alone, either. Cousins was very much in demand from teams needing/wanting a high-end backup quarterback. Now that he's off the market, perhaps there is a chance the market for Stidham will materialize," Bedinger wrote.
"There was talk about a team like the Packers also being interested in Cousins as a backup for Jordan Love, but the point is that there are a number of teams in the high-end backup QB market, and at least in theory, some of those teams might be willing to throw a pick at the Broncos to get Stidham for just $6.5 million this season."
Jarrett Stidham's ship with the Broncos might've sailed
Stidham will always be associated with a 2025 Broncos season that ended the moment Bo Nix was ruled out of the AFC Championship Game with his infamous ankle injury in the Divisional Round. Stidham had Denver close, but he couldn't overcome what proved to be a brittle New England Patriots defense in the title game.
Perhaps, in that context, it's better to move on now before fans become annoyed by his presence. Stidham has been a career backup, and if he finds the right situation, he can probably be elevated to a starter.
The chance to become one within dysfunction exists with the New York Jets, since Geno Smith is the starter otherwise. Still, another former Auburn Tiger, Malik Willis, just showed that the Packers are a great situation for a backup under Matt LaFleur. Of course, LaFleur's former boss, Rams head coach Sean McVay, also offers a good situation, and Stetson Bennett is probably not going to be able to hang onto LA's backup job for another year.
Stidham has plenty of NFL career left, but it's best spent outside the Mile High City at this point.