Payton on Stidham ahead of AFC Championship: ‘He’s gonna rip it’

Sean Payton made it made clear Wednesday that Jarrett Stidham is going to be aggressive in Sunday's AFC Championship Game

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Jan 21, 2026, 4:02 PM Updated: 6:27 pm

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Sean Payton isn’t worried about Jarrett Stidham.

Days after Bo Nix fractured his ankle late in the Broncos’ overtime thriller against Buffalo, Payton made clear Wednesday that his backup quarterback’s aggressive mentality is exactly what Denver needs heading into Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against New England.

“That’s his personality. He’s gonna rip it,” Payton said. “And that’ll be our approach.”

Stidham, 29, will make just his fifth career start when the Broncos (15-3) host the Patriots (16-3) at Empower Field at Mile High. It’s a moment two years in the making — and one Payton saw coming when he pounced on the former Raiders quarterback as one of his first free agents in Denver back in 2023.

“I liked him first,” Payton said of Stidham, whom the Broncos signed right after his Las Vegas time ended. “We had good grades with him in New Orleans, coming out of Auburn. New England drafted him.”

Former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels, now back as New England’s offensive coordinator, brought Stidham with him to Las Vegas when he got that head coaching job.

“When you see a move where Josh goes to become the head coach, and then you see the transaction,” Payton said. “I have a lot of respect for Josh, and I knew that he liked him.”

The clincher? Stidham’s performance against the 49ers in the 2022 season, when he threw for 365 yards in a Raiders tight loss to San Francisco.

“He really played well in that 49er game against a real good defense,” Payton said. “And so that’s when we became aggressive.”

Now Payton is drawing parallels to backup quarterbacks who rode late-season opportunities to Super Bowl glory. He invoked Jeff Hostetler, who replaced an injured Phil Simms and led the Giants to a championship in Super Bowl XXV, and Nick Foles, who stepped in for Carson Wentz and delivered Philadelphia its first Lombardi Trophy.

The message Payton is sending internally mirrors what he told the Saints in 2019 when Drew Brees went down with a thumb injury and Teddy Bridgewater took over, winning five straight.

“I made the same comment. I said, ‘I’m not worried about (Teddy) Bridgewater. I’m worried about everyone else in this room making sure their level is up to speed,” Payton recalled. “The most important thing is: What are the things that they like? What are the things that they do well? And then building it around that.”

Stidham, for his part, has attacked the week like a professional, per the coach. Payton said game-plan installation has become more streamlined in the modern era — as plays are finalized, they’re immediately emailed to the quarterback room.

“He, along with Sam (Ehlinger) and Ben (DiNucci), is getting the game plan like real time,” Payton said. “Like last night, we’re doing base. Once we finish discussing a play, a run or a pass, and we put a dot on it — right away, that play gets sent to these guys.”

One of the biggest challenges for any backup is staying prepared without regular practice with the starters. But Stidham has spent months preparing against Denver’s top-ranked defense in practice — a unit that has forced opponents into mistakes all season.

“One of the harder things to do in season is to prepare at that position, at any moment,” Payton said. “He takes all those reps against the defense. Obviously, now he’s getting all the reps with the offense. But he’s on top of it.”

Payton acknowledged the unique pressure of the moment — the franchise’s first AFC Championship appearance since Super Bowl 50— but said Stidham’s temperament suits the stage.

“He’s got this calm demeanor that I think suits him well. He’s played in big games in college,” Payton said, echoing his first line about his new top gunslinger. “I said this at the start of the season: I felt like our two was inside the best 32. And I think everyone feels that way. That’s why that signing was important. You don’t know when it’s happening. But I’m glad it happened.”

The Patriots have gotten this far for a reason. New England’s defense allowed just three points against the Chargers in the Wildcard Round and forced five turnovers against Houston in the Divisional Round. Head coach Mike Vrabel, whom Payton called “an offensive version of Dan Campbell,” has built a physical team that reflects his playing days as a Patriots linebacker.

Stidham knows the Patriots’ franchise well, having been drafted by New England in 2019 and spending three seasons in Foxborough. But Payton dismissed the notion that limited game film on Stidham would be an advantage.

“I think there’s enough film. And certainly Josh knows him,” Payton said of McDaniels, the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. “I don’t think it’s like we’ve never seen who this person is. It’s what we do with him that’s going to be most important.”

The Broncos have reinforced Stidham’s supporting cast this week, reuniting with receiver Brandon Johnson, who caught eight passes for 115 yards in his final two games with Stidham in 2023. Denver may also get running back J.K. Dobbins back after a knee injury; he returned to practice on Wednesday.

Nix, meanwhile, underwent surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to rejoin the team to cheer them on soon.

“Once he’s able, I’m sure there’s going to be a protocol back in Alabama,” Payton said. “I don’t have a date for when he arrives back, but we look forward to seeing him soon. All of our guys who have been injured are part of this team.”

For now, though, the Broncos’ Super Bowl hopes rest with Stidham — and a head coach who believes he found something special two years ago.