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According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, who covers the New York Jets, Denver Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham is a potential trade target for them. He notes that there’s a sense that the Jets will look to add two cost-effective backups/stop-gap starters and names quarterbacks like Tanner McKee, Spencer Rattler, and Tyson Bagent as potential options. He then adds that Jarrett Stidham is “another one to watch” due to his connection with General Manager Darren Mougey, who spent time in the Broncos front office when they signed Stidham.
Jarrett Stidham is viewed as one of the top backups in the NFL and has spent the past three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He most recently started the AFC Championship Game for the Broncos after starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle in the final plays of their Divisional Round victory over the Buffalo Bills.
After a nice start that included a deep pass to Marvin Mims and then a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton, the wheels came off for Stidham and the Broncos’ offense. On top of that, the blizzard in the second half made offense basically impossible, so he was dealt a rough hand. Short week to prepare for the biggest start of his career, and then having to play in a blizzard.
Now, Stidham enters the final year of his contract with the Broncos and may have some value around the league, and his value might be amplified due to the weak quarterback market. Fernando Mendoza is going to be a Raider, but after that, there is not much out there. The Dolphins are expected to release Tua, the Cardinals are expected to release Kyler Murray, and veterans like Kirk Cousins, Joe Flacco, and others are also expected to be available. The report indicates the Jets don’t plan on being in the big-money QB market, so that removes them from the Daniel Jones and Malik Willis market. So, a name like Stidham, who is cost-effective and has ties to the General Manager, makes sense for the Jets.
Stidham would give the Jets a high-level backup who would be good for that locker room at the very least, while also giving them a quarterback who could play if given the starting job. However, would the Broncos even entertain this?
As we noted, starting quarterback Bo Nix is coming off a broken ankle. Trading away your veteran backup, who knows your system well and has the trust of the coaching staff, would be risky. You would have to think the Broncos would want a good return to even entertain trading away Stidham. His value to the team this season will likely be more than a late-day 3 selection, so I would expect the Jets would need to overpay a tad bit if they want to get this hypothetical deal done.
This might all be speculation, but with a weak quarterback market, the Broncos could have teams calling about Jarrett Stidham’s availability, and if the price is right, I could see them listening.