ENGLEWOOD -- Jarrett Stidham on Monday said “it’s unspoken” that he wants to be the Broncos’ starting quarterback in 2024. Then he spoke about it.
Stidham took over as the starter for the final two games of the season after head coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson, and the Broncos went 1-1. Wilson is not expected to be back with the team, and Stidham could emerge during the offseason as the leading candidate to be behind center in 2024.
"I’m very confident that I can be the guy for us next year," Stidham said while players cleaned out their lockers at the Centura Health Training Center, a day after a 27-14 loss at Las Vegas in the finale. "I have no doubts about that. But I’m going to continue to work as hard as possible this offseason and learn as much as possible and those sort of things. So, I’m excited for the opportunity for sure."
In his two games, Stidham completed 40 of 66 passes for 496 yards with two touchdowns and an interception and a passer rating of 87.7. Denver defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 at home Dec. 31 in his first start but his second one didn’t go nearly as well.
Stidham, who spent last season with the Raiders, completed 20 of 34 passes for 272 yards with a touchdown and an interception and a passer rating of 82.0. He was sacked five times and threw a good number of inaccurate passes as the Broncos finished 8-9 to mark their seventh losing season in a row and eighth straight out of the playoffs.
"One game, yes, one game, no," Stidham said of whether he was satisfied with his two-game audition to conclude his fifth NFL season. "Obviously, the goal was to go 2-0 in those two weeks. I thought we did some good things, some stuff to build off, for sure. But we’ll take a look at it this offseason and evaluate and see if we can get better."
Stidham, 27, signed a two-year, $10 million contract last March and has a salary-cap number of $7 million for 2024. Wilson, 35, is expected to be released before $37 million on his contract is due to be guaranteed for 2025 on March 17.
Payton wasn’t available for comment Monday but said after Sunday’s loss the Broncos will "evaluate everything" moving forward at quarterback. For now, Stidham looks to have plenty of support in the locker room from players as a possible starter in 2024.
"I think Stiddy’s a very smart quarterback," said wide receiver Jerry Jeudy. "He knows the game. He knows how to read defenses. He knows how to make plays and put the ball in playmakers’ hands. I feel he can do it all for a quarterback."
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Jeudy caught three passes for 79 yards against the Raiders, including a 47-yard grab and a 24-yard touchdown. Brandon Johnson had four receptions for 88 yards, including a 36-yard catch.
"Stiddy has great confidence," Johnson said. "He has a certain type of poise out there. He brings everybody comfort in the huddle. You might look to him and he might give you a smile and we’re all good, relaxed. … I don’t know what will happen next year but regardless, if it is Stiddy, man, I’m excited."
The Broncos, who are about $18 million over the projected salary cap now and would be even more over it by releasing Wilson, might not have the money to sign a marquee quarterback in free agency. They will have the No. 12 pick in the draft and could take a quarterback, but it remains to be seen if they can get one ready to immediately start as a rookie.
In the meantime, Stidham will be doing whatever he can to land the starting job in 2024. He plans to spend the months before offseason workouts begin in April training in the Dallas area, where he lives.
"I feel like I definitely grew in those two weeks (as a starter and) looking forward to this spring," Stidham said. "It’s huge to be in a system now for a year. … Whenever we come back in the spring, nothing is going to be new."
During his two weeks as a starter, Stidham said Wilson was invaluable in offering advice. Wilson was unavailable Monday for comment.
"He was great, super positive, super helpful," Stidham said. "Anything that he saw during the game, at practice or while we were watching film or whatever maybe, he was super helpful the entire time. I can’t speak more highly about Russ and what he meant to the room this entire year."
The Broncos’ quarterback room during the season consisted of Wilson, Stidham and Ben DiNucci, who was on the practice squad. DiNucci signed a futures deal Monday, so he will be back with the team for spring workouts. By then, it will be seen if Stidham is running the first-team offense.
"I’ll be back in April and ready to rock," Stidham said.
