Jarrett Stidham is about to become one of the unlikeliest main characters in NFL history. The 29-year-old Denver Broncos backup quarterback is about to make his first NFL start since 2023 in this afternoon’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots (3 p.m. ET, CBS).
Stidham, who was originally drafted by New England back in 2019, has been thrust into the spotlight due to Bo Nix’s season-ending injury. Now, he’ll look to help the Broncos reach the Super Bowl for the first time in a decade.
Jarrett Stidham has arrived for the AFC Championship.
🤠 STIDDY UP 🤠 pic.twitter.com/aDoR2zZpNa— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) January 25, 2026
Stidham’s biggest supporter, his wife Kennedy, will be on hand to cheer him on. The pair met while they were students at Baylor and have been married since 2019.
A former soccer player at Baylor, Kennedy Stidham has cultivated her own sizable following on social media, including more than 124,000 Instagram followers.
What to know about Kennedy Stidham
A native of Kingwood, Texas, Kennedy Stidham (née Brown) is the daughter of sports executive Tad Brown, former CEO of the Houston Rockets and current CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which includes the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
She was a multi-year on-field contributor for Baylor women’s soccer, earning conference academic honors for her work off the field.
Kennedy has been a regular presence at her husband’s games throughout his NFL career, and away from the game, the two have three children together.
Following last Saturday’s win over the Buffalo Bills, during which Nix was lost for the year with a broken ankle that required surgery, Kennedy Stidham shared her thoughts on social media about what was next for the Broncos and her husband.
“Absolute whirlwind of emotions after the game last night,” she wrote on her Instagram story at the time. “Ultimately so proud of these boys & what they have accomplished this so far. do it for 10 [Nix]!!!!”
Stidham looking to join impressive company
If he can lead the Broncos to a win today and ultimately a victory in Super Bowl LX, Jarrett Stidham will join a list of backup QBs who stepped in for an injured starter and won a ring, a group that includes Jeff Hostetler of the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Foles.
“I’m just going to go out there and play and be myself,” Stidham said Wednesday, via NBC News. “I know how I can play. I know the kind of guys I have around me, and the kind of team that we have. We all just have to play within ourselves.”
The winner of Broncos-Patriots will face the winner of the Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams NFC Championship Game in the Super Bowl in two weeks.
