Former Patriot Jarrett Stidham isn't the quarterback anybody thought would start in this year's AFC Championship game, but current New England quarterback Drake Maye shared that the now-Denver Bronco extended a classy gesture ahead of the start of the regular season.
"I know that Jarrett's a great player. He texted me before the season, Jarrett did," Maye told 'WEEI Afternoons' during his weekly 'Patriots Monday' appearance. "It just shows what type of guy he is. He wished me the best of luck. So, I wish him the best of luck and looking forward to seeing how he does. Hopefully we come out with a win."
Stidham appears to be at the reigns of the Broncos for next weekend's AFC Championship, as coach Sean Payton ruled starter Bo Nix out for the remainder of the playoffs with an ankle fractures just moments after Denver beat Buffalo in the Divisional Round.
The Patriots drafted Stidham in 2019, ahead of Tom Brady's final season in New England. He appeared in eight games over two years, but never started. He spent a year with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he started and lost two games, before joining Denver in 2023. Although he's appeared in seven games as a Bronco, he hasn't attempted a pass in two seasons.
During his Monday press conference, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel acknowledged a conversation he had with Stidham's agent last spring regarding whether he'd be a fit in New England for this season, but he signed a two-year extension with Denver, and the Patriots brought in Josh Dobbs to back up Maye. Now, he'll line up opposite of New England in the most important game in seven years for the Patriots.