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Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham reacting after the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots.
A surprising name has entered the conversation for the New York Jets.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed that Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham is “one to watch” for the Jets this offseason.
“General manager Darren Mougey knows him from his time in Denver,” Cimini added.
Mougey crossed over with Stidham for two years in Denver (2023-24) when he served as the assistant general manager.
Stidham, 29, will turn 30 before the start of the 2026 season. He has one year left on his $12 million contract.
The Man of Mystery
Stidham entered the league as the No. 133 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
“Stidham began his career at Baylor, but the firing of coach Art Briles due to the sexual assault scandal on campus caused him to look elsewhere. He was a big signing for Briles, a top-50 overall prospect nationally from Stephenville, Texas, who passed for nearly 3,000 yards and 35 touchdowns and ran for almost 1,000 more yards as a senior,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft profile.
“The SEC Newcomer of the Year and second-team all-conference quarterback completed 66.5 percent of his throws (246-of-370) for 3,158 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. The highlight of his year was the team’s Iron Bowl win over Alabama (21-of-28, 237 yards). Stidham did not take a step forward as a junior, completing only 60.7 percent of his throws (224-of-369) for 2,794 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions in a somewhat disappointing 8-5 season,” Zierlein explained.
He spent the first three years of his NFL career with the New England Patriots. During the 2022 offseason, he was flipped along with a 2023 seventh-rounder to the Las Vegas Raiders for a 2023 sixth-rounder.
After a year in Vegas, Stidham joined the Broncos in 2023, and he has been there ever since. After initially signing a two-year deal, he signed a two-year extension in March of 2025.
During his seven years in the NFL, Stidham has appeared in 20 games and has made four starts. With those opportunities, he has completed 59.4% of his passes for 1,422 passing yards, and has eight passing touchdowns to eight interceptions.
A Rumored Flavor of Choice for the Jets QB Search
“Everybody wants to know who will line up behind center in 2026. The Jets have been linked to no fewer than a dozen quarterbacks, everyone from the retired Derek Carr to Malik Willis. It’s not a great year to need a QB1, so there’s no surefire answer out there,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini admitted.
“There’s a sense that the Jets will look to add two veterans, steering away from overpriced big names and focusing on cost-effective backups/stop-gap starters,” Cimini wrote.
The Jets would have to give up an asset to acquire Stidham from Denver. If this is the path Gang Green is going to pursue, they may run into some issues.
It makes sense why the Jets would be interested in Stidham based on his prior experience with Mougey. However, why would Denver be interested in trading their affordable backup quarterback?
Their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, was injured during the AFC Divisional round, forcing Stidham into the starting lineup for the AFC Championship game.
The backup quarterback is a super valuable asset to have on a team. Unless the green and white overpay for someone’s backup, it’s hard to fathom the motivation of the other team to move their QB2.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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