Story byJon Heath, Broncos WireSun, January 18, 2026 at 11:45 PM UTC·2 min readJust over two years ago, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton benched quarterback Russell Wilson following a 26-23 loss to the New England Patriots, a defeat that essentially knocked Denver out of playoff contention. Payton then turned the offense over to Jarrett Stidham for the final two games of the 2023 season, and Wilson was cut the following offseason. Now, two years and a month later, Stidham is set to start against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game after the Broncos lost Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury on Saturday. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementStidham (6-3, 215 pounds) was picked by New England in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Auburn. After serving as a backup behind Tom Brady as a rookie, Stidham competed for the starting job in 2020, but lost the job to Cam Newton.
