All eyes were on the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night, and Las Vegas Raiders backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham was at the center of it all.
And his former New England Patriots teammates were loving every second of it.
Stidham was traded, along with a 2023 seventh-round draft pick, to Las Vegas in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick in the offseason. There were definitely preseason flashes of potential with the Patriots, but the former fourth-round pick out of Auburn University remained buried on the depth chart.
Those flashes were once again on display in Thursday’s preseason opener for the Raiders against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Check out the wheels on the former Patriot in what was basically a walk-in touchdown.
.@Jarrett_Stidham called his own number 🙌
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game | NBC pic.twitter.com/FzbAMjpkN0
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 5, 2022
After the play, a couple of Stidham’s former teammates gave him a shoutout on social media during the game.
Some love for Jarrett Stidham from his former Patriots teammates. pic.twitter.com/YQfc0z6Ah6
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 5, 2022
Stidham has a real opportunity to win the backup role behind Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
He already has a built-in connection with newly-hired head coach Josh McDaniels from their time back in New England. This could be the opportunity he’s been waiting for away from the magnified spotlight with the Patriots.
A chance at redemption still exists in Las Vegas.
