Tom Brady has had a legendary career with the Patriots and the Buccaneers. But now, he’s been asked to help out in Denver as well. The Broncos were dealt a massive blow in their first playoff game, with Bo Nix suffering an ankle injury. While the dynamic in the locker room has changed, former 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman suggested a legendary replacement for the quarterback.

“Who can Sean Payton Call to play QB with only a week before the Broncos play in the AFC championship game?” read Sherman’s X post. “One call he could try to make that may break the internet is Brady. Doubt he would do it but boy would that make for great TV!”

Bo Nix’s season-ending injury occurred in an unexpected and almost invisible moment. According to reports, the Broncos quarterback broke a bone in his ankle on the second-to-last play of overtime during Denver’s AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. The injury happened on a quarterback pseudo-kneel, a routine-looking play that did not initially draw attention.

Because the play appeared harmless, the injury went unnoticed in real time. Nix even appeared celebratory after the game, making it difficult to tell that anything was wrong. Only later did reports confirm that the awkward sequence had ended his postseason.

Nix was monumental against the Buffalo Bills. He went 26-of-46 passes for 279 passing yards and three touchdowns. Although he threw two interceptions, he did not let him get sacked all evening. This was a huge improvement from his last regular-season game against the Chargers, when he was sacked a season-high four times.

Despite the buzz Richard Sherman and fans might have about a Tom Brady unretirement, the reality is far less dramatic. Brady is no longer just a legend on standby. He is a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, and that status alone shuts the door completely. NFL rules strictly prohibit active players from holding any ownership stake, even a small one, making a comeback impossible unless Brady walks away from the business side entirely.

Brady is a legend of the game and possibly the greatest quarterback of all time, but HC Sean Payton has already set his eyes on someone else for the conference championship game at the Mile High.

Sean Payton has put his faith in Jarrett Stidham

Following Bo Nix’s ankle injury, HC Sean Payton has confirmed Jarrett Stidham will start in the AFC championship game. However, this was not just another replacement announcement. Payton is pretty confident in Stidham, sending a warning to the others.

“He knows… In fairness to what you’ve seen, which is very limited, he’s ready,” Payton told the reporters, via DNVR Broncos on X. “He’s ready. I’ve said this at the beginning of the season, I feel like I have a number 2 [quarterback] that’s capable of starting for a handful of, a number of teams. I know he feels the same way. So watch out. Just watch. He’s experienced, he’s played in games.”

Despite the head coach publicly backing his QB2, Jarrett Stidham has barely been part of the Broncos’ season. The veteran has appeared in just one game, logging only four snaps, a brief cameo that included nothing more than a kneel-down to close out Denver’s 44–24 win over the Cowboys in Week 8.

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The HC’s confidence in QB2 isn’t new. He was one of the priorities of Payton in 2023.

“I think he’s young, but I think he’s someone that we had a good grade on coming out,” Payton said. “We like the player. I think he played well in the 2 starts he had this year. If you study closely the San Francisco game, he’s smart at the line of scrimmage and so, there were a couple of directions, really, with that position.”

In his debut season for the Broncos, Stidham logged snaps in the last two games of the regular season. His box score read a pass completion rate of 60.6% for 496 yards and two touchdowns. While those aren’t exceptional numbers, it suggests that he has been a reliable QB2.

The AFC Championship game will be his first playoff game for the franchise. Stidham now has a chance to make the most out of it. Even Bill Belichick benched Drew Bledsoe (QB1) for a young Brady (QB2) when the former was benched with an injury. Drawing from Brady’s comparison, Stidham would be hoping for a similar outcome.