Mark Kiszla: With the Broncos riding or dying with Bo NIx, it makes sense to say goodbye to Jarrett Stidham

After paying him the ungodly sum of $5 million to help carry the stink of Russell Wilson to the curb, the Broncos don’t owe quarterback Jarrett “Sparky” Stidham a darn thing except accurate directions out of Denver.

Isn’t it obvious?

The Broncos are going to ride or die this season with rookie Bo Nix.

We’ve all seen the future so clearly that it’s a waste of breath for coach Sean Payton to pretend there’s anything meaningful to evaluate.

And if you paid attention to even 20 minutes of practice when the Broncos goofed around Friday with the Packers in the summer sun, it was also abundantly clear who the second-string quarterback for Denver should be:

Zach Wilson. Yep, the same guy that the New York Jets wanted to dump almost as much as the Broncos wanted DangeRuss gone.

While all the harmful tinkering of those knuckleheads in New York might still have the wires tangled in the brain of the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Wilson was sent to remind us of Payton’s abilities as a quarterback whisperer.

You don’t have to be locked in the film room 24/7 to see the football zips out of Wilson’s throwing hand with more compelling spin than either Nix or Stidham can demonstrate.

Suspense in this quarterback competition?

There is none.

And there’s no room in the Denver QB room for Stidham.

Let me do the low-grade thinking, so Payton can concentrate on more delicate matters, like telling Javonte Williams he’s going to be the third string running back behind Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin.

On a beautiful Sunday evening, when any reasonable person in love with all things Colorado should be grilling a steak or walking the dog, Broncomaniacs will be glued to the television, taking notes and giving grades to Nix, Stidham and Wilson for their work against the Packers.

Payton has told us that, in order of appearance against Green Bay, it will be Nix, Stidham and Wilson.

Not that it really matters, regardless of whether Nix looks more like Peyton Manning or Paxton Lynch.

He’s the man in Denver. At least for the next six months.

Maybe Nix surprises the league by leading the Broncos to seven or eight victories as a rookie. Or maybe he flops, and Denver does everything in its power to move CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders down the road from Boulder to its Dove Valley Headquarters.

But ‘round here, this season is all about the education of Nix.

“I learned early in college that the more pressure you put on yourself, the tougher it is to go out there and play free,” said Nix, who got baptized by fire in the Southeastern Conference, then learned how to be a cool customer after moving to work in the Oregon rain.

“There’s enough pressure on you already, so you might as well just go out there and have fun playing the game of football.”

Officially declaring Nix as the starter requires only the rubber stamp of Payton. Living with his inevitable rookie mistakes over the course of 17 NFL games will be a test of patience for the coach and Broncomaniacs alike.

Whenever Stidham pulls on his helmet and joins the Denver huddle in the second exhibition game of the summer, it should be viewed primarily as a marketing opportunity.

“I just want to go out there and score a lot of points, to be honest,” Stidham said. “That’s all I really care about.”

Here’s hoping Stidham puts at least one touchdown pass on tape for general manager George Paton to reference when he picks up the phone to talk trade with his cohorts around the league.

Stidham is a competent NFL back-up and as such, is worth more to a team with a thirty-something starter and legit Super Bowl aspirations than what he can offer to the rebuilding project here in Colorado.

I’m not saying Stidham could bring a significant return in trade for the Broncos. But I will insist it makes zero sense for Denver to keep three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster when the last spot could be given to a prospect with more upside potential than a 28-year-old QB with one NFL career victory on his resume.

So long as he’s able to hit the reset button and dump all the bad mojo from his Jets misadventure, it’s worth keeping Wilson around for at least a season, not as a cost-saving measure, but a small investment that could benefit the Broncos

“I love a good change of scenery,” said Wilson, traded to the Broncos in April in a deal that included a swap of late-round draft picks. “I think it was good for me.”

So, what’s left to say about this QB competition?

Sparky, it has been a blast.

But turn in your playbook, as well as your key card to the building.

And take an oatmeal raisin cookie for the road.

Happy trails.