6 dark horse options to be the Vikings quarterback in 2024

Quarterback No. 3

Jarrett Stidham

2023 Team: Denver Broncos

After finishing his college career at Auburn, Jarrett Stidham entered the NFL in 2019 as a fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots.

Stidham spent his first three years in the league with the Patriots, seeing minimal action. Then, during the 2022 offseason, he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders to reunite with former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Late in the 2022 season, the Raiders ended up benching longtime starter Derek Carr, and Stidham actually got a chance to start under center in the team's final two games on their schedule.

In his first career start, he delivered quite the performance, as he threw for 365 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in a game against the San Francisco 49ers that Las Vegas ended up losing by three points.

Stidham's other start in 2022 came against the Kansas City Chiefs, and his play wasn't as spectacular as it was in the previous week, but he was still solid.

This offseason, the Denver Broncos were clearly impressed with what he was able to do in his limited action in 2022, and they signed him to a two-year contract worth $10 million.

Since Stidham signed a two-year deal with the Broncos, the Vikings would likely have to trade for him in order to get him on their 2024 roster. But since he's currently a backup, it probably wouldn't cost Minnesota too much to acquire him.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he has the ideal physical traits that teams look for in a starting quarterback. Could Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell view Stidham as someone he could potentially turn into a successful starting signal-caller in the NFL?