Last Jarrett Stidham pass in NFL: Revisiting 2023 regular-season finale after Broncos benched Russell Wilson

Jarrett Stidham has twice been denied the opportunity to become a full-time starter in the NFL, but the opportunity of a lifetime awaits in the AFC championship game.

Once thought to be the frontrunner to start for the New England Patriots after Tom Brady's exit, Stidham slipped on the depth chart when Bill Belichick reversed course and signed Cam Newton in 2020. Four years later, he entered training camp as the in-house leader of a three-way competition to start for the Denver Broncos but settled for a backup role after an impressive summer by Bo Nix.

With Nix suffering a devastating ankle fracture in the divisional round, Stidham will take his turn with a chance to take the Broncos to the Super Bowl -- and he will do so more than two years after his last NFL pass.

Here's a look back at the last time Stidham played in an NFL game.

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What was Jarrett Stidham's last pass in the NFL?

Most NFL teams can expect to use at least two quarterbacks in a season thanks to injuries, but the Broncos have been exceptionally fortunate over the last two seasons. Not only did Nix never miss a start, but Stidham never even had to throw a pass in any game between 2024 and 2025.

That means Stidham's last regular season pass came on Jan. 7, 2024, when he closed out the 2013 season with a Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The pass itself was intercepted by Tre'von Moehrig to effectively end the game, though the Broncos trailed by two possessions at that point in a game that didn't matter for either team.

749 days later, Stidham will throw some of the most important passes of his life as he tries to take the Broncos to Super Bowl 60 with Nix sidelined.

MORE: Can Broncos win the Super Bowl without Bo Nix?

Why did the Broncos bench Russell Wilson?

Half of Stidham's four NFL starts came with the Broncos in 2023, after Russell Wilson was benched by Denver. 

Wilson had a bit of a bounce-back season with the Broncos in 2023, throwing for 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 15 starts after a difficult 2022, but a Christmas Eve loss to the dismal New England Patriots unofficially ended Denver's playoff hopes.

At that point, Sean Payton — who inherited Wilson when he was hired — was set on moving on from Wilson in the offseason. With next to nothing to play for, the Broncos benched Wilson to prevent an injury that would guarantee another part of his massive contract. Ironically, Stidham briefly became the starter in Las Vegas under the same circumstances a year earlier when the Raiders were prepared to move on from Derek Carr.

Stidham was Denver's backup, and he was named the starter for the final two games of the season, going 1-1 with a win over the struggling Los Angeles Chargers and a loss to the Raiders.

MORE: Inside Sean Payton's playoff record as head coach

When was the last time Jarrett Stidham played in an NFL game?

Stidham hasn't thrown a pass since Week 18 of the 2023 season. Since then, he has played 18 snaps without attempting a pass. 

For a well-paid backup who has been in the NFL for seven years, Stidham simply hasn't played very much. For comparison's sake, he has made as many starts in seven seasons as Brady Cook made in his rookie season with the New York Jets.

Here's a look at perhaps Stidham's best performance, when he and the Raiders nearly upset the San Francisco 49ers: 

The Broncos' belief is Stidham is one of the NFL's better backups, and they pay him like it. At $6 million per year, Stidham is one of the league's highest-paid backups. He looked capable in brief stints as a starter with the Raiders and Broncos, which validated Denver's confidence, but there's no doubt Stidham enters the AFC championship as a great unknown after two years on the sideline.

MORE: Sean Payton shares what Bo Nix said about ankle injury

Jarrett Stidham stats

Stidham has thrown for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions in his career, but he was more efficient in his four starts between the Raiders and Broncos than he was in his limited relief action with the Patriots at the start of his career.

Despite middling career stats, the Broncos believe Stidham is well prepared to take over the offense in Nix's absence.