In the corners of the stadium, a doctor examined the right ankle of Bo Nix, the starting quarterback of the Broncos. Nix had just led Denver to an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the NFL playoffs, but he left the field limping and in pain.
Jarrett Stidham, Nix’s replacement, was there with him. During the season, Stidham said, “I see Bo more than my kids. » But even he couldn’t tell how hurt Nix was. While Nix went to get x-rays, Stidham went to shower and change. By the time he returned to the training room, the results were in. Nix had broken a bone in his ankle. His season was over.
Suddenly, Stidham was the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, the AFC’s No. 1 seed. He had about a week to prepare for the AFC championship game, which is this Sunday. Stidham and the Broncos will face the Patriots for a spot in the Super Bowl.
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Last week, as Stidham’s story made national headlines, a man in his 60s from Morgantown, West Virginia, was bombarded with messages. He immediately understood why.
“As soon as my phone or my email blows up, I know someone lost a quarterback,” Jeff Hostetler told NBC News. “And someone steps in to see if they can accomplish the task.”
In December 1990, Giants quarterback Phil Simms broke his foot, forcing backup Hostetler into action. Hostetler won the next five games, including a 20-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. This game is best remembered because the Bills missed a late “wide right” field goal and for being the second Super Bowl won by Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells.
Jeff Hostetsler during Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991 in Tampa, Florida. Focus on sport / Getty ImagesBut New York would not have won without Hostetler’s intervention. That makes him one of the few people, along with Nick Foles of the 2017 Eagles, who understands what Stidham is going through. “I don’t think people realize what a tough place it is,” Hostetler said. “How mentally tough a backup quarterback has to be – to be ready when the opportunity knocks.”
Hostetler had waited a long time for his shot. He played quarterback at West Virginia and was drafted by the Giants in 1984. At the time, Simms was suffering from injuries and his status with the team was uncertain. But that season, he took control of the starting job. Over the next few years, Hostetler seethed on the bench. He couldn’t go to another team. This was in the 1980s, before modern free agency began. Player movements were restricted.
Instead, Hostetler offered to play other positions. He says he played a lot on special teams. He once blocked a punt. He kept the ball during field goal attempts. “I did everything I could to get on the field,” Hostetler said. “I just wanted to get out there and contribute.”
By 1990, Hostetler had had enough. He still remembers the breaking point. “It was like a Wednesday after practice,” he said. “No rehearsals, nothing.” He told his wife he was ready to retire. “I didn’t see any light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “I just told him that at the end of the season, I’m done. We’ll find something else. But I can’t continue like this.”
A few days later, Simms was injured. Six weeks later, Hostetler said, “I was standing on a podium with two of my sons and my pregnant wife, and we had just won the Super Bowl. The Lord had different plans for me.”
If that wasn’t remarkable enough, Hostetler later revealed that he tore his ACL in the NFC Championship Game — and still played in the Super Bowl.
As a starter, Hostetler pointed out, you can make a mistake, play a bad game and still have a chance to redeem yourself the following week. “As reinforcement, we are judged straight away on a few plays, a few opportunities, without repetitions,” he declared. “You always have to be prepared. You look for that opportunity and you have to be mentally strong.”
Watching from afar, Hostetler said he and Stidham seemed to have “very similar” experiences at this point. Like Hostetler, Stidham spent years in the NFL waiting his turn.
The Patriots, all teams, drafted Stidham in 2019, in the fourth round, out of Auburn. His rookie year overlapped with Tom Brady’s final season in New England. “Jarrett was able to sit down with him and learn and see what it’s like,” former Patriots center David Andrews told NBC News. “Soaking in everything you can…it’s a really great experience.” »
Denver Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham warms up before a game against the Green Bay Packers in Denver on December 14, 2025.Image File Isaiah J. Downing/ImagnDuring three years in New England, Stidham didn’t play much. Then Josh McDaniels, the offensive coordinator, was hired as the Raiders’ head coach — and he acquired Stidham via trade. A year later, Broncos coach Sean Payton signed Stidham as a free agent. Both McDaniels and Payton are considered top offensive minds, and both have seen something in Stidham. “He only played in two systems,” Andrews said. “Two of the best systems in the NFL.”
Even so, Stidham never really had the breathing room of a starting quarterback. He sat behind Derek Carr in Las Vegas, and Russell Wilson and now Bo Nix in Denver. In his first seven years, Stidham only started four games. In those situations, he completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 270 yards per game, six touchdowns and four interceptions. He has good size and he showed some athleticism, making plays with his legs, throwing on the run. But he hasn’t thrown a pass in a regular season game since 2023.
When Nix went down last week, Payton wasted no time. He arrived at his postgame press conference, announced Nix’s injury and immediately named Stidham as the starter. Denver had built its team around the defense, its offensive line and the smart play of Nix. Now Payton had a week to come up with a plan for Stidham, against his old team, in the biggest game of his life.
“Stiddy is ready to go,” Payton said. “I feel like I have a [backup quarterback] it’s capable of starting for a handful – a number of teams. And I know he feels the same way.
All week, Stidham looked at ease. As a replacement, he has been described as an “atmosphere guy”, someone who keeps the atmosphere going within the team. “I like to keep the mood high in the locker room and I hope that carries over to the group on Sunday,” Stidham said. “We’re playing in the AFC Championship. We’re one of the last four teams playing. Like, what’s not fun about that?”
Stidham said all the right things: that he prepares as always, that he ignores the issues. “I’m just going to go out there and play and be myself,” he said Wednesday. “I know how I can play. I know the kind of guys I have around me and the kind of team we have. We all have to play within ourselves.”
Once upon a time Bill Parcells said the same thing to Jeff Hostetler.
“My job was, as Parcells would say, ‘Play within yourself,’” Hostetler said this week. “I always looked at it as a cut, like he was making a dig somewhere. Really, it was a call to everyone: Do your job. … You don’t have to do someone else’s job. Just do someone else’s job. your job.”
Sean Payton’s mentor happens to be… Bill Parcells. Payton spoke with Parcells several times this week. Did they discuss the need to play a backup quarterback in a high-leverage situation, like Parcells did all those years ago? “Obviously this topic has been discussed,” Payton said.
Thursday morning, Hostetler received an unexpected call.
“Hey, I’m mad at you,” a voice said.
It was Parcells.
“I’ve had to answer so many phone calls because of what you did.”
They both started laughing.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s good. Because I’ve been mad at you for a long time,” Hostetler said for keeping him on the bench.
Parcells and Hostetler hadn’t really kept in touch over the years. “I wasn’t one of his guys while we were playing,” Hostetler said.
Bill Parcells after the Super Bowl victory against the Buffalo Bills in Tampa, Florida on January 27, 1991. John Biever/Sports Illustrated via Getty ImaThey had a short conversation on the phone. As Hostetler recalls: “He said, ‘I just wanted you to know that people don’t realize how hard it was to accomplish what you did.’ He just wanted me to know that he knew it, recognized it, and appreciated it. I had five games in a row to win – to win this Super Bowl.
After winning Super Bowl XXV, Parcells and Hostetler never really talked about the adventure, about what they accomplished together, until much later. “Those are big words coming from Parcells,” Hostetler said. “To have your coach come back and say that, it made me smile.”
Tim Rohan is a sports editor and writer for NBC News.