Denver coach Sean Payton thinks Jarrett Stidham has what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL, although that’s not the role the Broncos have in line for the former Auburn standout in the 2023 season.

To get Stidham on board to work as Russell Wilson’s backup, Denver signed Stidham in free agency to a two-year, $10 million contract that included a $2 million signing bonus and $5 million in guaranteed money.

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“There were a couple of directions at that position,” Payton said about the Broncos’ offseason decision at backup quarterback. “There were a handful of No. 2s that either 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 feel like he can become an NFL starter in our league, so the evaluation was pretty crystal clear for all of us.

“I think he’s someone who’s going to be great in the room. He’s smart. And so quietly, that was an important signing for us.”

Stidham made the first starts of his NFL career in the final two games of the 2022 NFL season as the Las Vegas Raiders were preparing for their offseason separation from quarterback Derek Carr.

Stidham completed 53-of-83 passes for 656 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions and ran for 84 yards on 14 carries against two of the NFL’s best teams as the Raiders lost 37-34 to the San Francisco 49ers on Jan. 1 and 31-13 to the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 7.

Stidham became the second player in NFL history with at least 350 passing yards and three touchdown passes in his first start.

“I think he’s young, but I think he’s someone that we had a good grade on coming out,” Payton said on Monday while attending the NFL’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “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. …

“What I said is: I think there’s upside in this player. I think there’s certain players that we saw in free agency, you know they’re a 2. Can they come in and play and start? Yes. I think you get that with Jarrett. But I also think you get a player who’s still ascending. If you watch the 49er game, that’s impressive against a good defense. And so he was a priority for us, like, quietly, and fortunately it worked out where we were able to get him.”

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After two seasons at Auburn, Stidham joined the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In his first NFL preseason, Stidham completed 61-of-90 passes for 731 yards with four touchdowns and one interception as he led the AFC in passing yards and beat out veteran Brian Hoyer to serve as Tom Brady’s backup during the three-time NFL MVP’s final season with New England.

Stidham played in three NFL regular-season games in 2019 and five in 2020, when he backed up Cam Newton.

But in 2021, Stidham never got in a game after sustaining an offseason injury as New England went with rookie Mac Jones as its starting quarterback and Hoyer as the backup. Stidham had surgery on July 28 because of a back injury and spent the first nine weeks of the season on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list.

Stidham joined the Raiders in May 2022, when Las Vegas sent a sixth-round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft to the New England Patriots for the quarterback and a seventh-round pick. The trade reunited Stidham with Las Vegas coach Josh McDaniels, his offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Patriots.

In 13 NFL regular-season games, Stidham has completed 77-of-131 passes for 926 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions and run for 89 yards on 14 carries.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.