The Las Vegas Raiders are about to use the #1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on quarterback Fernando Mendoza, but his time as the team's starting quarterback will have to wait. When the Denver Broncos take on the Las Vegas Raiders in 2026, there's a very good chance they'll be seeing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who just signed on to be the Raiders' starter.
With Cousins off the market, a number of teams who were targeting him as a high-end backup option for the upcoming season might want to pivot quickly. Could the Denver Broncos start getting even more calls on backup QB Jarrett Stidham?
There were reports earlier this offseason that teams were asking about Stidham, and with the Broncos bringing back Sam Ehlinger in free agency, the possibility of getting a draft pick and salary cap savings is at least a little enticing.
Denver Broncos could get more calls on Jarrett Stidham after Kirk Cousins signing with Raiders
Earlier this offseason, Dianna Russini reported that teams were reaching out to the Broncos about Jarrett Stidham's availability.
It's also been reported that teams like the Rams were interested in bringing in Kirk Cousins this offseason to be a backup. And they weren't alone, either. Cousins was very much in demand from teams needing/wanting a high-end backup quarterback. Now that he's off the market, perhaps there is a chance the market for Stidham will materialize.
There was talk about a team like the Packers also being interested in Cousins as a backup for Jordan Love, but the point is that there are a number of teams in the high-end backup QB market, and at least in theory, some of those teams might be willing to throw a pick at the Broncos to get Stidham for just $6.5 million this season.
Stidham is on the Broncos' cap this year for $8 million, so getting some significant cap savings from offloading his contract via trade would make a ton of sense.
The Broncos obviously value Stidham highly, but they might feel like what they got out of him in the AFC Championship Game could have been similar from someone like Ehlinger for a fraction of the cost.
And throughout the pre-draft process, the Broncos have been looking at some late-round/UDFA types of prospects at the position. With three 7th-round picks, maybe they'd be inclined to use one on the quarterback position to get a young player in the QB3 spot, promoting Ehlinger to the QB2 position.
The reason this might have some legs is because Sean Payton recently stated that the Broncos would be having a competition for the QB2 role this year. He followed up by saying that it wouldn't be any different from last year, but Ehlinger never took 2nd-team reps last year, at least not in camp.
If the Broncos are putting Stidham's QB2 job up for grabs, it might not cost a ton for a team to get him off of Denver's hands if they're willing to part with a Day 3 pick.