Maxx Crosby Shares Advice for Jarrett Stidham and Outlook for Broncos

Over the years, it would seem that there's been no love lost between the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby.

As competitors and rivals, that may be true, but when it comes to the Broncos' quarterback situation entering the AFC championship game vs. the New England Patriots, Crosby has nothing but praise for backup-turned-starter Jarrett Stidham.

Crosby and Stidham were teammates in Las Vegas back in 2022, after the Patriots had traded him to the Raiders.

Crosby had an up-close view of the very performances Stidham turned in at the end of that season that captivated Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

"He's a great friend of mine, and he is a competitive individual. I witnessed him go against the San Francisco 49ers, I think it was Week 17, we go against the 49ers in Vegas, he threw for like 340 yards and two, three touchdowns," Crosby said via Raiders On SI's Ezekiel Trezevant.

"That was one of the top defenses in the league at the time. He was out there slinging the ball, confident, breaking tackles.”

Again, Stidham's performance for the Raiders in 2022, especially against the 49ers, more than piqued Payton's interest.

After Payton stepped in as Broncos head coach that next spring, he made Stidham the first signing of his regime.

From that point forward, Payton discussed Stidham as a starting-caliber No. 2 quarterback.

Out of the gates, Stidham backed up Russell Wilson in 2023, and just like his 2022 season in Las Vegas, he closed it out as the Broncos' starter in the final two games.

Stidham's performance in those two starts for the Broncos wasn't as statistically impressive as his games as a Raider, but he did win one of them to close out the season, passing for 496 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception in 2023.

With Stidham at the helm, the Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers but lost to the Raiders.