Broncos sent QB to work with former Saints signal-caller Drew Brees this offseason

Newly-drafted Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix bears some distant connection to the New Orleans Saints, between the fact Sean Payton is his head coach and the fact he’s drawn some comparison to Drew Brees.

But he’s not the only signal-caller on the team that has that, even when it comes to the latter. Over the offseason, the Broncos sent former Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham to work with Brees. Brees has mentored other passers around the league, including Derek Carr, and the future Hall of Famer is a strong resource to pull from.

During a recent episode of The Athletic’s “Scoop City” podcast with Dianna Russini, Chase Daniel (a former Saints backup) shared that Stidham trained with Brees in California this summer.

“He was actually in San Diego with Drew Brees working out,” Daniel said. “The Broncos sent him out there to sort of tap into Brees’ mind about the offense, about his routine. And he wanted to be out here, too.”

Stidham took part in a passing session and a film session with the former NFL legend, spending time “picking his brain.” Stidham will look to reap the benefits of that visit throughout training camp as he battles it out with Nix after spending a year in Payton’s offense. The experience could give him an edge, but at the same time, Nix’s pure talent and higher ceiling could see Stidham take the backseat.

And if Nix spent any time with Brees the way that Stidham did, that union never hit the news.

Stidham saw action in five games during the 2023 season, completing 40 of his 66 passing attempts for 496 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.

It will be interesting to see how things shake out as the preseason gets underway when the Broncos face the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Sunday, Aug. 11 at noon CT.