ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- During locker cleanout Monday, Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham asserted that he's ready to be QB1 for the team next season.
"I'm very confident that I can be the guy for us next year, I have no doubts about that,'' Stidham said. "I'm going to continue to work as hard as possible ... I'm excited for the opportunity for sure.''
Stidham started the Broncos' last two games of the season, including Sunday's season-finale loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas, after coach Sean Payton benched Russell Wilson. Stidham signed a two-year, $10 million deal last March. Ben DiNucci, who spent the season on the Broncos' practice squad, agreed Monday on a futures contract for next season.
"At the end of the day, I'll be back in April, ready to rock,'' Stidham said. "I'm excited for the opportunity to come back for sure.''
Wilson, too, is under contract for next season, but many in the league expect the Broncos to eventually release him before the start of the new league year in March. Payton has publicly maintained no decision has yet been made on Wilson's future.
Wilson said on Dec. 29 -- two days after Payton told the team Wilson had been benched -- the Broncos approached him just after the Broncos' Week 8 win over the Kansas City Chiefs about waiving a guarantee in the five-year $242.6 million contract he signed in 2022. That guarantee would give Wilson, who is already guaranteed $39 million in 2024 whether he is on the team or not, another $37 million (his 2025 salary) if he cannot pass a physical on the fifth day of the new league year in March.
Team sources have since said they hoped to adjust the timing or the structure of the guarantee. Few in the league believe the Broncos will pay that guarantee and the expectation is Wilson will be released.
Stidham started the Broncos' 16-9 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown. Sunday, however, did not go as well for either the Broncos' offense or Stidham as he was 20-of-34 passing for 272 yards to go with a touchdown and an interception in the 27-14 loss.
He was also sacked five times while the Broncos rushed for 48 yards.
"He hung in there, he had some tough snaps and got hit,'' Payton said after the game. "I think he had five sacks and nine pressures, but overall, he battled ... I thought we got beat up front. I was disappointed with how we played up front, I'll be honest with you.''
Stidham said late Monday morning that he had already had conversations with quarterbacks coach Davis Webb and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi about the offseason. He added he had not yet talked to Payton.
"I've said this before, everybody wants to play,'' Stidham said. "Everybody wants to play, everybody wants to be on the field, I want to be on the field every snap of next year if possible.''
Payton made the move away from Wilson because he said he wanted to see a "spark'' in the offense. The Broncos, despite Wilson having been among the league's top six quarterbacks in touchdown passes until he was benched, sputtered plenty overall, even as Payton had said he needed to be more "patient'' with the run game.
They struggled with timeouts at times, bobbled some late-game situations and finished the season tied for 27th in the league in plays of 20 or more yards, 26th in total offense (298.4 yards per game), 19th in scoring (21.0 points per game), 20th in the red zone and 30th in goal-to-go situations. And they finished the year with all of 44 points in the third quarter.
Stidham was the 12th quarterback to start a game for the team since the beginning of the 2016 season -- running back Phillip Lindsay was the 13th player to start a game behind center when he opened in the Wildcat formation in 2020 when the Broncos had no quarterbacks because of COVID-19 protocols.
Stidham was asked Monday how Wilson interacted with him over the last two weeks of the season and he said: "[He] was great, super positive, super helpful ... the entire time, can't speak highly enough of Russ, what he's meant to the room the entire way."