From Backup to the Bright Lights: Jarrett Stidham Set to Start AFC Championship Against Former Team
Jarrett Stidham’s NFL journey has taken some unexpected turns. But this weekend, it comes full circle in the most dramatic way possible: under the AFC Championship spotlight, as the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback, facing the team that once drafted him-the New England Patriots.
It’s a moment that even Stidham himself seems to be soaking in. After news broke that Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix suffered a season-ending ankle injury, Stidham reached out to a familiar face: Patriots superfan Brian Babz.
The two have built a friendship over the years, and Stidham’s message to Babz late Sunday night captured the surreal nature of the moment: “Crazy how life works, man. Excited for the weekend.
Hope you and the family are doing well!”
For Stidham, it’s more than just a start-it’s a shot at the Super Bowl. And for Babz, it’s a front-row seat to a story he’s been invested in since 2019.
A Long Road to the Spotlight
Let’s rewind for a moment. Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in a live NFL game since Week 18 of the 2023 season. Now, he’s being asked to lead the Broncos in the biggest game of the year so far, with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
It’ll be his fifth career start-and his first in the postseason.
The sudden promotion came after Nix, who had taken command of the Broncos’ offense in his rookie season, went down with a broken ankle. Head coach Sean Payton wasted little time naming Stidham the starter, and just like that, the former fourth-round pick is back in the spotlight.
And the opponent? None other than the team that drafted him.
From Foxboro to the Mile High City
Stidham’s NFL path has been anything but linear. Drafted by the Patriots in 2019, he was once thought to be a potential successor to Tom Brady.
He even beat out veteran Brian Hoyer for the backup job. But when Brady left for Tampa Bay, the Patriots turned to Cam Newton instead of giving Stidham the reins.
Still, Babz stayed in Stidham’s corner.
“I was doing little videos to support the guy-‘Let’s see what he has,’” Babz recalled. “I don’t think Stidham really had any vocal support at the time from anybody.”
That loyalty didn’t go unnoticed. At the end of the 2020 season, Stidham reached out to thank Babz for his support. When the Patriots traded Stidham to the Raiders in 2022, the quarterback invited Babz to his home in Foxboro and gifted him the jersey he wore when he threw his first NFL touchdown-against the Chiefs in 2020.
“I’m riding with you no matter what happens, doesn’t matter where you go,” Babz told him. And he meant it. Babz traveled to Canton, Ohio, for a preseason game Stidham started in 2022, and followed his journey through stops in Las Vegas and now Denver.
The “Babz Loyalty Bowl”
This weekend’s AFC Championship has a poetic twist. Stidham, finally getting a postseason start, will face the Patriots-the team that once passed him over. For Babz, it’s a matchup that’s as personal as it is exciting.
“My adrenaline was running all night, I couldn’t sleep,” Babz said after hearing the news. “He’s most likely playing the Patriots because there was no way the Pats were losing to Houston the next day.”
He wasn’t wrong. And now, the two sides are on a collision course.
Babz won’t be in Denver for the game. Instead, he’s hosting a watch party back home with fellow Patriots fans at Scorpion Bar. Despite his deep-rooted support for Stidham, his hometown loyalty still runs deep.
“If the Patriots can win on Sunday, how spoiled are we?” he said. “Nobody in their right mind would have thought they’d get back to the Super Bowl this quickly.”
A Family Affair
For Babz, his connection to Stidham goes beyond football. He’s gotten to know Stidham’s wife, Kennedy, and watched the couple start their family-first in New England, then through moves to Las Vegas and Denver. Their first daughter was born in April 2022, just before the move west.
“It has been awesome to kind of experience what it is to be in the NFL,” Babz said. “The highs, the lows, the grind, the commitment, the moving around.”
He calls Kennedy one of the most loyal people he’s ever met, someone who’s stood by her husband through every twist and turn of his career.
And now, here they are-on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, with Stidham finally getting his shot.
Full Circle
Among Babz’s collection of Stidham memorabilia is a signed Patriots jersey with a message from the quarterback himself: “My #1 fan. Always appreciate the support! GO PATS!”
It’s a reminder of where this journey started-and how far it’s come.
This Sunday, Stidham gets his moment. Against the team that drafted him.
In the biggest game of his life. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and the storylines couldn’t be richer.
Sometimes, life really does come full circle.