Tag: Zach Wilson

Broncos backup QBs Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson both set to become free agents

Broncos backup QBs Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are both scheduled to become free agents in March.

The Denver Broncos currently only have one quarterback under contract for the 2025 NFL season.

Bo Nix still has three seasons left on his four-year rookie deal (plus a fifth-year option), but both of the team’s backup quarterbacks are currently scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March.

Jarrett Stidham, who had a $7 million salary cap hit in 2024, and Zach Wilson, who had a $2.72 million cap hit, are both set to hit free agency on March 12. Because they are in-house free agents, Denver is allowed to give one (or both) extensions before their current contracts expire.

Stidham was the team’s primary backup last season, but he did not attempt any passes in his three mop-up appearances. Wilson was a healthy scratch for the entire year as an inactive emergency third-string quarterback.

Wilson (25) is younger than Stidham (28) and he might draw more interest from other teams this spring. Stidham will presumably be easier to re-sign, but Wilson has more long-term upside. The Broncos will have to make some tough decisions at QB in the coming months.

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Broncos quarterbacks vacation with wives in Mexico

Broncos QBs Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson and OL Mike McGlinchey are in Mexico with their wives following their 2024 season.

In what could be their final retreat as teammates, Denver Broncos quarterbacks Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are currently vacationing in Mexico.

Nix’s wife, Izzy, shared photos of the three QBs at a resort in Cabo on her Instagram story on Thursday. Stidham’s wife, Kennedy, also shared photos on Instagram, as did Wilson’s fiancé, Nicolette Dellanno.

Broncos right tackle Mike McGlinchey also appears in two of the photos shared on social media, and his wife, Brooke, posted from the resort on her Instagram story.

Stidham shared a story geotagged in Cabo San Lucas, a city in Baja California Sur, a Mexican peninsula state.

Stidham and Wilson are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March and it’s unclear if the Broncos will re-sign them.

The three Denver QBs and their significant others got together for a dinner each week during the season and Nix and his wife have both shared how much they appreciate the friendships formed in the team’s QB room.

We’ll find out in the coming months and Stidham and Wilson will return with the Broncos ahead of the 2025 season.

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Bo Nix’s wife thanks backup QBs for supporting Nix in 2024

“They were in our corner from start to finish and believed in Bo, when they certainly didn’t have to,” Izzy Nix said of Stidham and Wilson.

Following the Denver Broncos‘ playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Izzy Nix — the wife of rookie quarterback Bo Nix — took to Instagram to thank the team’s backup quarterbacks for supporting Nix in 2024.

“Will never find the words for this qb room & what they mean to us,” Izzy wrote on her Instagram story. “They were in our corner from start to finish and believed in Bo, when they certainly didn’t have to.”

Izzy included a crying emoji and a blue heart emoji in the caption, and she tagged Stidham’s wife, Kennedy Stidham, and Wilson’s fiancé, Nicolette Dellanno, in the post.

Stidham and Wilson are both scheduled to become free agents in March, so it’s possible that Sunday marked their last game as Nix’s teammates.

Despite all competing for the starting QB job this summer, Nix, Stidham and Wilson were close friends this season and they got together for dinner every week with Izzy, Kennedy and Nicolette.

“Those two guys have helped me tremendously,” Nix said of Stidham and Wilson in December. “They’ve been great friends to me and great guys that have my back, that sort of thing off the field. Obviously we’ve been able to have relationships off the field with [our] wives and things like that, so we’re just a close group. I think that plays an important role as this season goes on and gets longer and longer.

“It’s good to get away from football and joke around and not make it so serious all the time. They do a good job of balancing the football life with the off-the-field life. [They are] always teaching me things, and then at the same time, just always keeping it lighthearted. [They are always] reminding me that there’s a lot more to this football thing, but while we’re doing it, we might as well be the best at it.”

Nix, 24, has three more years left on his rookie contract, plus a fifth-year option for the 2028 season. Stidham, 28, and Wilson, 25, will become unrestricted free agents on March 12.

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7 Broncos players did not play vs. Bills on Sunday

Seven Broncos players did not play against the Bills, including healthy scratch Audric Estime.

Seven members of the Denver Broncos‘ 53-man roster did not play in the team’s 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday.

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson*, running back Audric Estime, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo and and defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike were inactive.

*Wilson was inactive but still dressed as an emergency third quarterback. Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s primary backup quarterback, also did not get on the field as Bo Nix played the entire game. That gave the Broncos a total of eight players who did not play against the Bills.

Broncos who did not play vs. Bills

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. RB Audric Estime 
  3. RB Blake Watson
  4. LB Levelle Bailey 
  5. OL Nick Gargiulo
  6. DL Eyioma Uwazurike
  7. QB Jarrett Stidham (active)

Denver now enters the NFL offeseason with 19 players scheduled to become free agents in March.

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Broncos have 19 players scheduled to become free agents in 2025

The Broncos have 19 players scheduled to become free agents in 2025, including RB Javonte Willams, DL D.J. Jones and QB Zach Wilson.

After falling to the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, the Denver Broncos have have now entered offseason mode.

The Broncos have 19 players scheduled to become free agents this spring, including 13 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the spring, according to OverTheCap.com.

The team’s list of UFAs includes running back Javonte Williams, defensive lineman D.J. Jones, inside linebacker Cody Barton and both backup quarterbacks: Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

Denver also has a restricted free agents in long snapper Mitchell Fraboni, plus five exclusive rights free agents, including slot cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian. Here’s a quick list of the team’s 19 pending free agents, with the RFAs and ERFAs noted.

Broncos 2025 free agents

  1. DL D.J. Jones
  2. QB Zach Wilson
  3. QB Jarrett Stidham
  4. LB Cody Barton
  5. CB Tremon Smith
  6. RB Javonte Williams
  7. P Riley Dixon
  8. LB Justin Strnad
  9. OL Matt Peart
  10. CB Levi Wallace
  11. LB Zach Cunningham
  12. FB Michael Burton
  13. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
  14. LS Mitchell Fraboni (RFA)
  15. TE Lucas Krull (ERFA)
  16. OLB Dondrea Tillman (ERFA)
  17. DB Devon Key (ERFA)
  18. DL Jordan Jackson (ERFA)
  19. CB Ja’Quan McMillian (ERFA)

The NFL’s 2025 negotiating period will run from March 10-12 ahead of the official start of NFL free agency on March 12.

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Broncos inactives: RB Audric Estime won’t play vs. Bills today

Broncos inactives vs. Bills: QB Zach Wilson, RB Audric Estime, RB Blake Watson, LB Levelle Bailey, OL Nick Gargiulo and DL Eyioma Uwazurike.

The Denver Broncos have announced their list of six inactive players for Sunday’s Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Broncos’ inactive players today are quarterback Zach Wilson*, running back Audric Estime, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo and and defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike.

With Estime a healthy scratch, Denver’s top running backs will be Jaleel McLaughlin, Javonte Williams and Tyler Badie, who was just activated from injured reserve on Saturday.

*Technically, Wilson is still available to play as the team’s emergency third-string quarterback behind starter Bo Nix and primary backup Jarrett Stidham, but he’s on the inactive list and does not count against the game-day roster. Wilson can play if both Nix and Stidham are injured.

With the exception of Wilson, these inactive players are members of the 53-man roster who are not eligible to play against the Bills. They will be reactivated on Monday.

Broncos inactives vs. Bills

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. RB Audric Estime 
  3. RB Blake Watson
  4. LB Levelle Bailey 
  5. OL Nick Gargiulo
  6. DL Eyioma Uwazurike

Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on CBS. Playing on the road, Denver is considered a big underdog against the Bills.

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6 players did not play in Broncos’ big win over Chiefs

Six players did not play in the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs on Sunday, including RB Blake Watson and LB Levelle Bailey.

Six members of the 53-man roster did not play in the Denver Broncos‘ big win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season.

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson*, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, offensive tackle Frank Crum (illness), defensive lineman Matt Henningsen and defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike were inactive on Sunday.

*Wilson was inactive but still dressed as an emergency third quarterback. Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s primary backup quarterback, entered the game in the fourth quarter but did not attempt any passes. Stidham has only appeared in three games this season.

Broncos who did not play in Week 18

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. RB Blake Watson
  3. LB Levelle Bailey 
  4. OT Frank Crum
  5. DL Matt Henningsen
  6. DL Eyioma Uwazurike

Following Sunday’s win, Denver is now set to go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, Jan. 12.

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Broncos inactives: 6 players won’t play vs. Chiefs today

Broncos inactives: QB Zach Wilson, RB Blake Watson, LB Levelle Bailey, OT Frank Crum, DL Matt Henningsen and DL Eyioma Uwazurike.

The Denver Broncos have announced their list of six inactive players for Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season.

The Broncos’ inactive players today are quarterback Zach Wilson*, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, offensive tackle Frank Crum (illness), defensive lineman Matt Henningsen and defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike.

*Technically, Wilson is still available to play as the team’s emergency third-string quarterback behind starter Bo Nix and primary backup Jarrett Stidham, but he’s on the inactive list and does not count against the game-day roster. Wilson can play if both Nix and Stidham are injured.

With the exception of Wilson, these inactive players are members of the 53-man roster who are not eligible to play against the Chiefs. They will be reactivated on Monday.

Broncos inactives vs. Chiefs

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. RB Blake Watson
  3. LB Levelle Bailey 
  4. OT Frank Crum
  5. DL Matt Henningsen
  6. DL Eyioma Uwazurike

Meanwhile, Kansas City’s list of inactive players includes QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce and DL Chris Jones.

Sunday’s game will be regionally televised on CBS (view the TV map). With the Chiefs resting starters, the Broncos are considered favorites. Denver can clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs with a win or tie.

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12 players who might play last game for Broncos on Sunday

These players might be playing their final game with the Broncos on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos will aim to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs with a win (or tie) against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. If they don’t beat the Chiefs, the Broncos’ season could end in Week 18.

Whenever their season does end, the Broncos will have 13 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in the spring, according to OverTheCap.com.

The list of UFAs includes running back Javonte Williams, defensive lineman D.J. Jones, linebacker Cody Barton and both backup quarterbacks: Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

Some of those players might not return in 2025, so if Denver does not make the playoffs, Sunday could be their final game with the Broncos.

Broncos 2025 free agents

  1. DL D.J. Jones
  2. QB Zach Wilson
  3. QB Jarrett Stidham
  4. LB Cody Barton
  5. CB Tremon Smith
  6. RB Javonte Williams
  7. P Riley Dixon
  8. LB Justin Strnad
  9. OL Matt Peart
  10. LB Zach Cunningham
  11. FB Michael Burton
  12. WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey

The NFL’s 2025 negotiating period will run from March 10-12 ahead of the official start of NFL free agency on March 12.

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8 players did not play in Broncos’ loss to Bengals

The Broncos held out eight players against the Bengals on Saturday, including RB Blake Watson.

Eight members of the 53-man roster did not play in the Denver Broncos‘ 30-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season.

Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson*, wide receiver David Sills, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, offensive tackle Frank Crum and defensive linemen Matt Henningsen and Eyioma Uwazurike were inactive on Saturday.

*Wilson was inactive but still dressed as an emergency third quarterback. Jarrett Stidham, Denver’s primary backup quarterback, also did not play as Bo Nix took every snap on offense, giving the Broncos eight total players who did not see the field. Stidham has only appeared in two games this season.

Broncos who did not play in Week 17

  1. QB Zach Wilson (*emergency third QB)
  2. WR David Sills
  3. RB Blake Watson
  4. LB Levelle Bailey 
  5. OT Frank Crum
  6. DL Matt Henningsen
  7. DL Eyioma Uwazurike
  8. QB Jarrett Stidham (active)

Following Saturday’s loss, the Broncos are now set to host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18. Denver can clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs with a loss or tie next week.

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