Jarrett Stidham, the talented quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has come to terms with the fact that he will be serving as the backup quarterback for the team. However, his acceptance of this position does not equate to contentment. In a post-game interview following the preseason finale, Stidham expressed his desire to support rookie Bo Nix in his journey towards potentially starting in Week One, but he also made it clear that he firmly believes he should be the starting quarterback.
“First of all, obviously, I was very disappointed,” Stidham admitted. “I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have zero doubts about that, and it just didn’t shake out my way. But I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am. Like I said earlier, I’ll be ready to go if I need to be, and like I said, I have no doubts that I’m a starting-caliber quarterback in this league.”
Stidham has complete confidence in his abilities as a quarterback and is convinced that he has demonstrated his capability to be a starter. Whether it was last season when he stepped in for Russell Wilson towards the end of the season or his consistent performance on the practice field and during preseason games, Stidham believes he has proven himself.
“I think they know what I can do,” Stidham asserted. “I think I displayed that last year whenever I was asked to come in and play the last two games, and then throughout practice, throughout training camp, OTAs, the whole thing. But at the end of the day, I’m going to go out there and do what I do. I’m very confident in what I can do, and do whatever I can to help this team.”
Head coach Sean Payton has made the decision that Stidham’s contributions to the team are best served by him taking on the role of backing up Nix. While Stidham may not be starting on opening day, he remains committed to supporting the team in any capacity necessary, all while maintaining his belief in his own abilities as a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL.