From the outside looking in, being a backup quarterback in the NFL might seem like the primo job you can have in professional sports. One where you can make million of dollars without ever having to actually play in games.
From the perspective of many backup quarterbacks, it’s abject misery. These guys don’t come this far to sit and watch someone else become The Man.
Such is the case of Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who lost a training camp battle to Bo Nix before the 2024 season and has been open about his desire to eventually be a full time starter elsewhere. It’s an opportunity that now presents itself if the Broncos are willing to trade him to the New Orleans Saints, who have quickly become the most quarterback desperate team in the NFL.
Stidham heads into his fourth season as Denver’s No. 2 quarterback after signing a 2-year, $12 million contract on March 9. The new deal brings his career earnings to approximately $25.6 million following the 2026 season.
“First of all, obviously I was very disappointed,” Stidham said after finding out Nix would be Denver’s starter in 2024. “I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that, and it just didn’t shake out my way. 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. Like I said, I have no doubts that I’m a starting-caliber quarterback in this league.”
How Saints Trading for Stidham Might Unfold
The Saints saw their already dim hopes for 2025 take a hit with news of a previously undisclosed shoulder injury to starting quarterback Derek Carr that could sideline him for the entire season.
Carr signed a 4-year, $150 million contract with the Saints in March 2023 and missed 7 games in 2024 with various injuries. This includes a season-ending broken hand in Week 14 against the New York Giants.
“Saints quarterback Derek Carr has a shoulder injury that could put his status for the 2025 season in jeopardy, according to multiple reports Friday,” ESPN’s Katherine Terrell wrote. “The Saints are scheduled to begin their offseason training program Monday. The injury puts Carr’s attendance in question as the team begins its first 2025 preparations under new coach Kellen Moore.”
The Saints might draft a quarterback with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but there’s no guarantee the only quarterback who could be available with a surefire first round grade, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, will still be on the board. Looking even deeper, it’s highly doubtful the Saints would want to offer up Sanders as a sacrificial lamb to NFL defenses as rookie.
Rolling out one of the backups who started last year in place of Carr — Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener — shouldn’t really be an option, either. Mainly because they’re both terrible.
If the Broncos want to test the trade waters, they could offer Stidham in exchange for one of the Saints’ 2 third round picks or 2 fourth round picks in 2025 and Rattler or Haener to be their emergency third quarterback and go with former Indianapolis Colts starter Sam Ehlinger as Nix’s primary backup this season.
