Sean Payton Believes Jarrett Stidham Can Become NFL Starter

Sean Payton Believes Jarrett Stidham Can Become NFL Starter

The Denver Broncos signed Jarrett Stidham this offseason to be the backup to Russell Wilson, but head coach Sean Payton sees great things in Stidham’s future.

When speaking to the media during the annual NFL owners meetings, Payton spoke very highly of Stidham, saying he was a fan when he was coming out of Auburn in 2019, and especially liked his performance down the stretch as the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback.

“I think he’s young, but I think he’s someone that we had a good grade on coming out,” Payton said, via PFT via nbcsports.com. “We like the player. I think he played well in the two starts he had this year. If you study closely the San Francisco game, he’s smart at the line of scrimmage.”

“There were a handful of No. 2s that I had worked with or we felt comfortable with, but in this case I think it’s a No. 2 that his arrow is moving in a direction where we think he can become an NFL starter,” Payton said. “So the evaluation was pretty crystal clear for all of us. I think he’s going to be someone who’s great in the room. He’s smart. So quietly that was an important signing for us.”

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Are we going to address the elephant in the room? Payton brought in Wilson’s replacement. Jarrett Stidham is in Denver to replace Wilson when he fails to perform again this year.

It’s no secret that last season was a dumpster fire in Denver, and we know that he has this year to prove himself to Payton. Stidham replaced Derek Carr in Vegas, will he do the same in Denver? All I know is this season will be fascinating to watch.

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