Tag: Jarrett Stidham

Broncos trade late-round pick to Jets for QB Zach Wilson

The Broncos are trading a 6th-round pick to the Jets in exchange for QB Zach Wilson and a 7th-round pick.

The Denver Broncos have agreed to trade a sixth-round draft pick (No. 203) to the New York Jets in exchange for quarterback Zach Wilson and a seventh-round pick (No. 256), according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The compensation makes it a low-risk move for the Broncos. At worst, they got a backup quarterback by dropping from the sixth to the seventh round. At best, they got a young quarterback who still has potential to improve.

Wilson (6-2, 214 pounds) entered the league as the second overall pick out of BYU in the 2021 NFL draft. He started 33 games in New York, completing 57% of his passes for 6,293 yards 23 touchdowns against 25 interceptions. The Jets will now move forward with Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. Before the trade, he was set to have a salary cap hit of $11.18 million in 2024. The Jets agreed to split his guaranteed camp roster bonus ($4.39 million), according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It remains to be seen how all of the financial details will break down, but Denver won’t have to pay all of the QB’s contract.

Wilson (24) will join a Broncos quarterback room that already features Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci. Denver coach Sean Payton said earlier this offseason that Stidham will get an opportunity to compete for the starting job this summer.

It remains to be seen if the Broncos will still select a rookie quarterback in the NFL draft later this week. Denver holds eight draft picks, including the 12th overall pick in the first round on Thursday evening.

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Could Bo Nix join Jarrett Stidham in Bronco’s QB room?

Several mock drafts have the Denver Broncos selecting the former Auburn QB with their first round selection.

The NFL draft is set to begin this month, and one of this year’s headliners is former Auburn quarterback, [autotag]Bo Nix[/autotag].

Nix played three seasons at Auburn before turning his career around at Oregon, where he ultimately became a Heisman Trophy contender. He is considered a top-five quarterback in this season’s draft, which should result in a first-round selection.

Several mock drafts have Nix going No. 12 overall to the Denver Broncos. After trading Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, the Broncos will need to add a quarterback to their draft class says Draft Wire.

“The Broncos cannot afford to pass on a quarterback,” Draft Wire’s Curt Popejoy said in his latest first-round mock draft. “This could be a spot for them to trade back but still hope to land Bo Nix.”

In a recent interview with ESPN’s Robert Griffin III, Nix says that he would be open to playing for the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton.

“He’s known a lot for what he and Drew Brees did together,” Nix said. “It was quick game, get the ball out, timing stuff that I love to do. That’s what we did so great here at Oregon.”

If the Broncos were to select Nix during this year’s NFL draft, he would enter a quarterback room that also contains former Auburn quarterback [autotag]Jarrett Stidham[/autotag]. In two starts last season, Stidham tossed 496 yards and two touchdowns while boosting a 1-1 record.

The 2024 NFL draft begins Thursday, April 25.

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Sean Payton says Jarrett Stidham will ‘definitely’ compete for starting QB job

“He’s definitely going to compete to be the starter,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of QB Jarrett Stidham.

As Denver Broncos fans fret about the team’s quarterback situation, coach Sean Payton remains unfazed.

There are only a few veterans still available in free agency, but the Broncos could land a quarterback during the NFL draft in April (perhaps evening by trading up to land a top prospect). And regardless of whether or not Denver drafts a QB, the team still has Jarrett Stidham.

Speaking at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando on Monday, Payton said Stidham will “definitely” compete for the starting job in 2024.

“He’s definitely going to compete to be the starter,” Payton said, via KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “I don’t think we have a term, ‘driver’s seat,’ really. But he is going to compete for that position. I know he’s anxious and excited to do that and I’m sure there will be other candidates that will be competing with him.”

Who it is that ends up competing with Stidham remains to be seen.

Payton also said he doesn’t think Stidham has hit his ceiling as a QB yet.

There’s no guarantee Stidham will be Denver’s starter in Week 1, but Payton has essentially guaranteed the QB will have a chance to compete for the starting job this summer. Now we wait to see if that competition will be with a rookie. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Ian Rapoport hints Broncos will stick with Jarrett Stidham instead of trading up for QB

Ian Rapoport thinks the Broncos are more likely to stick with Jarrett Stidham than to trade up for a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft.

During an appearance on NFL+ last week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was asked by Daniel Jeremiah if the Denver Broncos (No. 12) or Las Vegas Raiders (No. 13) are more likely to trade up for a quarterback during the 2024 NFL draft.

Rapoport indicated the Raiders are more likely to move up the board, and he hyped up Jarrett Stidham as a possible starter for the Broncos this season.

“Sean Payton has won with a lot of quarterbacks who are not as good as Jarrett Stidham,” Rapoport said. “You know, I do think they’ll add a quarterback, but I don’t know that the urgency is there. Because he’s so good that I think they say, ‘You know what, we can take some raw materials and he [Payton] will get that person to perform.”

Stidham went 1-1 as a starter last season, completing 60.6% of his passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. He was sacked seven times in those two contests and Denver averaged 15 points per game.

While it’s possible this notion of sticking with Stidham is accurate, it’s worth noting that Rapoport works for NFL Network, the league’s in-house media network. He works for the NFL and its 32 teams, including the Broncos.

Denver has seemingly used NFL Network (and Rapoport) in the past to put out information the team wanted known. In 2017, as a potential example, Rapoport reported that the Broncos had “received calls” about safety T.J. Ward. In reality, the team wanted to trade Ward but ended up cutting him when no team was interested in making a deal.

So Rapoport’s reporting — and informed takes presented as guesswork — should be taken with a grain of salt. There’s always the possibility that NFL Network is saying what Denver’s front office wants the network to say.

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Jarrett Stidham and a rookie seeming more likely for the Broncos in 2024

The big-name free agent QBs are off the board. It’s looking like Jarrett Stidham + a rookie might be the most likely option for the Broncos.

The first wave of NFL free agency has wrapped up and the Denver Broncos still haven’t found a replacement for Russell Wilson, who was cut last week.

The Broncos passed on 13 notable free agent quarterbacks and they opted not to make a move for any of the five QBs that changed teams via trade this offseason. There are some free agent QBs still available, but none of them are exciting options.

It’s possible that Denver could go into the 2024 season with Jarrett Stidham and a drafted rookie as the top two QBs on the roster.

Such a scenario was known to be among the team’s options, but it probably wasn’t viewed as the most likely scenario.

Stidham, of course, would welcome the opportunity.

“I’ve said this before — everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be on the field,” Stidham said in January. “I want to be on the field every snap of next [season] if possible.”

Regardless of whether or not the Broncos end up signing a veteran, the team will be expected to draft a QB in April. Denver does not pick until 12th overall, though, so if they want to land one of the top four QBs, the Broncos will likely need to trade up.

Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy are all expected to go off the board before pick No. 12. That would leave Bo Nix and Michael Penix as options for Denver, but both of those QBs will likely be available later in the first round.

If the Broncos do not trade up for a top QB prospect, moving down the board to acquire more picks might be their best option, especially if the team is able to land a QB later in the first round.

Denver currently holds eight picks. The 2024 NFL draft will be held in Detroit from April 25-27.

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Available free agent quarterbacks for the Broncos

How will the Broncos replace Russell Wilson in 2024? Here are some free agent quarterbacks the team could consider.

After releasing Russell Wilson, the Denver Broncos need to find a new starting quarterback this spring.

Assuming coach Sean Payton doesn’t plan to start Jarrett Stidham in Week 1, the Broncos will be looking to the free agent market for a potential QB1 this week. Options will include Kirk Cousins (but that would be difficult), Jameis Winston (who had success with Payton in the past) and Sam Darnold (who might be a realistic option).

Jimmy Garoppolo is not listed below because he’s technically not a free agent yet, but if the Las Vegas Raiders release him as expected, Jimmy G will be a name to watch as well.

So with the NFL’s free agency negotiating window set to open later today, here’s a quick list of 15 veteran free agent quarterbacks to keep an eye on. Note that Wilson makes the cut as a notable FA QB, but he won’t be returning to Denver. (Update: Wilson is signing with the Steelers.)

5-step quarterback plan for the Broncos in 2024

What should the Broncos do at quarterback this offseason? Here’s a hypothetical five-step plan.

The Denver Broncos have insisted that Russell Wilson could remain with the team in 2024, but we expect the quarterback will be released in March (Wilson expects that, too).

So if the Broncos do cut Wilson as expected, what’s the QB plan? Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are both under contract for 2024, but Denver will undoubtedly add more depth and competition to the position this spring.

We’ve put together a five-step plan for how we would approach the 2024 offseason. This is not a prediction or a report of what the team will do. Rather, it’s what Broncos Wire would do this spring.

The first step is releasing Wilson. Such a move will create a large “dead money” salary cap hit, but it’s hard to imagine the QB remaining in Denver. He should have suitors as a free agent.

After that, the Broncos will have to make a decision on Stidham. Our plan might surprise you.

What’s next for Russell Wilson? 10 teams who could target QB in 2024

If the Broncos cut Russell Wilson this offseason, these 10 teams might show interest in the quarterback.

Russell Wilson is under contract with the Denver Broncos through the 2028 season and the team has claimed the quarterback could remain with the team in 2024.

While it’s possible that Wilson could stay in Denver for another year, the two sides seem to be headed for a split this offseason. The Broncos would probably love to trade Wilson, but it might be difficult to find a team willing to trade for his current contract.

After being benched with two games remaining last season, Wilson revealed that Denver previously threatened to bench him earlier in the season if he did not revise his contract. It was a messy end to the season for Wilson and the team, who have not directly denied threatening to bench Wilson over his contract.

Broncos owner/CEO Greg Penner even admitted that some elements of the Wilson situation could have been handled differently. If the relationship is now fractured beyond repair, Wilson has already played his last down in Denver.

Wilson expects to be released by the Broncos in March before his 2025 salary becomes guaranteed. We should get more clarity on his status next month because the NFL’s new league year will spark action. The most likely scenario is Wilson being released by Denver. Assuming he’s cut, where will Wilson land in 2024? Here’s a quick look at 10 teams who might be interested.

Potential 2024 QB options for the Broncos (without Jarrett Stidham)

If the Broncos cut QB Jarrett Stidham, they would save $5 million in cap space. Here are five QB paths Denver could take in such a scenario.

Last week, we published a list of potential quarterback paths the Denver Broncos could take in 2024 and all of them included Jarrett Stidham.

Today, we’re going to take a quick look at QB paths for the Broncos without Stidham on the team. Denver seems likely to move on from Russell Wilson this offseason, but Stidham’s status with the club is harder to gauge.

It’s possible that the Broncos could go into 2024 with Stidham on the roster either as a starter or competing for the starting job. It’s also possible that Denver could part ways with both Wilson and Stidham this spring.

Stidham is set to have a salary cap hit of $7 million in 2024. If the Broncos release the quarterback, the team would create a $2 million “dead money” cap hit with a net savings of $5 million in salary cap space.

With Denver in desperate need of more cap space, the possibility of Stidham being cut can’t be ruled out. Here are five hypothetical QB scenarios the Broncos could consider this spring without Stidham on the team.

Potential 2024 QB options for the Broncos with Jarrett Stidham included

If the Broncos move on from Russell Wilson, what happens at QB in 2024? Here are five options that include keeping Jarrett Stidham.

Assuming the Denver Broncos are going to move on from Russell Wilson this offseason, the team will need a new starting quarterback in 2024.

Right now, Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are both under contract. It’s possible that Denver could also cut Stidham this spring, but today we’re going to explore several options that include keeping Stidham.

The first option would be to roll with Stidham in 2024, something Peter King thinks is a real possibility. A second option would be to sign a veteran free agent to compete with Stidham this summer.

A third option would be to draft a quarterback (perhaps 12th overall) to compete with Stidham. A fourth option would be to trade for a veteran (which doesn’t seem likely) and a fifth option would be to sign a veteran and draft a rookie.

So, what’s the best option for the Broncos in 2024? Let’s take a look at the five scenarios.