Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham hasn't started a game since 2023 and has attempted just 197 passes since entering the NFL in 2019, but the New England Patriots aren't taking their former fourth-round pick lightly ahead of Sunday's AFC championship showdown.
"I don't know if it's so much the challenge of that he hasn't played in a while, more than just the whole team as a challenge," Patriots defensive play-caller Zak Kuhr said Thursday, via the Boston Globe. "He's very capable of being a starting quarterback.
"He could be the starter for a number of teams. Very talented, athletic, smart. He can run better than what most people think. Strong arm, very accurate. You watch this film. But I don't think it brings some added level of difficulty as far as preparing for it."
The film on Stidham isn't extensive. The quarterback's last non-preseason pass attempt came in Week 18, 2023. It will be 749 days between meaningful passes. He saw four snaps this season in Week 8 during a blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys, handing off three times and kneeling once. Stidham has gone 1-3 in his career as a starter.
The Patriots drafted the QB in the fourth round in 2019. He never started a tilt in three seasons with the club, making eight appearances and going 24-of-48 passing for 270 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2022, the Patriots traded Stidham to Las Vegas, where current offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach. The QB started the final two games of that season after the Raiders put Derek Carr in bubble wrap. He completed 53 of 83 passes for 656 yards with four TDs and three interceptions with Vegas.
"Smart. Accurate. A great human being," McDaniels said of Stidham. "Worked hard. A great teammate. Just hasn't had an opportunity based on situations and those kinds of things. I enjoyed working with him. I enjoyed my time with him. I'm sure he'll be ready to go this week for sure."
Quarterbacks making their first start of the season in a playoff game are 1-7 since 1950, with the only win coming from the Bills' Frank Reich in the epic 1992 comeback against the Houston Oilers.
Stidham's four career starts (all regular season) will mark the fewest by any QB prior to starting in a conference championship game. The previous fewest starts prior to the conference title start: the Giants' Jeff Hostetler in 1990. However, Hostetler started the final two games of that regular season and a playoff game ahead of the NFC Championship Game.
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