Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham said he and his teammates are playing for starter Bo Nix.
“First of all, obviously my thoughts and prayers have been with Bo since Saturday night,” Stidham said. “I mean, it’s crushing, because he’s one of my best friends. ... [Practice squad QB] Sam [Ehlinger] and I probably spend more time with him than his wife does right now, and that’s just the nature of the business that we’re in. ... You spend so much time with someone, you see how hard they work, how good of a teammate they are. And then that happens and you just, you feel crushed for him.”
Nix was injured on the second-to-last offensive play of the Broncos’ game-winning drive in overtime. He was tackled around his ankles on a designed QB run by Bills safety Cole Bishop and came up limping. But he stayed in the game, tossing a deep ball to wideout Marvin Mims that drew a flag and set up a chip-shot field goal to win the game. He then took the knee that set up the kick in the middle of the field.
Head coach Sean Payton announced after the game that Nix fractured a bone in his ankle that would require surgery and end his season.
Stidham was drafted out of Auburn—where Nix succeeded him as the starting QB—by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. After three years with New England, he spent 2022 with the Las Vegas Raiders before signing with Denver as a backup to Russell Wilson in 2023. When Wilson was benched at the end of the 2023 season, Stidham started the final two games. He competed for the starting job in 2024, but lost to the rookie Nix.
Now that his chance has finally come, Stidham was humble about the opportunity and said he was going to play hard for his friend and teammate.
“We wouldn’t be in this position without Bo,” he said. “I know all of us on offense, and I know the whole team, we want to go out there and make him proud this Sunday.”
Between seven seasons in the NFL and three with Payton in Denver, Stidham said his preparation and mentality have not changed now that he will be under center. He said he always prepares as if he will be the starter, even though he has not thrown a pass in the regular season since 2023. He was also prepared for game speed, since the Broncos practice at full speed, as did the Patriots in his early career.
Stidham was aware of the opportunity to beat the team that drafted him, but reflected fondly on his time there and the people he knew who are still in the building.
“I’m actually not on social media at the moment, but I have had multiple people send me the LeBron meme with headphones and the sunglasses. So I guess that’s pretty funny. But it’s great. Broncos Country, in my opinion, [is] arguably the best fan base in sports. So I’m really excited to get out there in front of them. It’s been a long time since this game’s been played here. So I know they'll be rocking on Sunday.”
That said, he has not been noticed much in real life.
“Incognito,” he said, noting that he had only been to a store with his children so far this week. “Nobody notices.”
