If you had asked me going into the 2024 NFL season to predict the most likely move(s) the Denver Broncos would make at the 2024 trade deadline, I probably would have said that one of Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson -- the team's backup quarterbacks -- would be on the move. The NFL is desperate for good quarterback play and teams go through injuries at that position every single year.
And now that the trade deadline has passed, perhaps the most shocking thing the Denver Broncos didn't do is trade away one of their two backup quarterbacks.
Denver Broncos hold onto Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson at NFL Trade Deadline
Just last year in the NFL, there were a whopping 67 different starting quarterbacks spread across all 32 teams. That means that, on average, every NFL team used at least two starting quarterbacks over the course of the season. Now, that doesn't mean that every NFL team used a backup nor did every team need its backup for more than a game or two, but last year was a great example of how the supply and demand at the quarterback position in the NFL always favors the team that has their QB situation figured out.
Which the Denver Broncos obviously believe they do with rookie first-round pick Bo Nix under center. Given the fact that Nix has entrenched himself as the starter, it's already a bit of a surprise that the Broncos didn't do more of shopping their backups around. But it's even a little more surprising when you consider that both Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson are free agents in 2025.
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Stidham has proven over the last couple of seasons that he's got starter chops out there and Wilson is a recent 2nd overall draft pick who has also started a lot of games. Even though not every team is healthy across the board, it does feel like teams have not needed their backups as much this year, or teams that have needed to turn to backups are in less dire situations.
In other words, the planning of the rest of the league perhaps prevented Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson from getting opportunities to start somewhere this season. Those guys should still have a decent market in 2025 NFL free agency, but it's still a little surprising that there wasn't more of a demand for their services at the trade deadline.
And the Broncos have no reason to dump either of those guys considering the going rate even for backup quarterbacks should set the Broncos up decent to get something in the way of a compensatory draft pick, even if it's a late-rounder.
Not only that, but I could see Sean Payton and company trying to bring Zach Wilson back to Denver next year to continue to groom him and get him ready for a starting gig elsewhere down the line.