Jarrett Stidham hasn’t thrown a pass in an NFL game since 2023, but that doesn’t mean he’s an unknown to the Patriots

New England Patriots

The Patriots drafted him in 2019 and took another look at him this offseason.

FOXBOROUGH — Jarrett Stidham has not thrown a pass in an NFL regular-season game since the end of the 2023 season, but the Patriots have plenty of familiarity with his game.

The Patriots drafted Stidham in 2019 and took another look at him this past offseason while considering options for a backup to Drake Maye.

“I guess it was kind of ironic speaking with his agent,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said Monday. “Like, ‘Well, if you don’t want your starter to get hurt, sign Jarrett. That was before [Saturday].”

Bo Nix, who has thrown all but four of the Broncos’ passes since being drafted in the first round in 2024, broke a bone in his ankle during Saturday’s overtime win against the Bills. Stidham will start the AFC Championship game against the Patriots in his place.

The last time the Patriots made it this far in the playoffs, they won it all, with Tom Brady at quarterback. New England drafted Stidham in the fourth round in 2019, two months after winning Super Bowl LIII, and there was talk of him being a potential successor to Brady.

But Stidham spent the 2020 season as a third-stringer behind Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer, after Brady left for Tampa Bay. Josh McDaniels was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator then, and after he took the Raiders’ head coaching job in 2022, Las Vegas acquired Stidham in a trade with the Patriots.

With McDaniels back in New England this season, the Patriots did some offseason research on Stidham.

“Just going back to when Josh had him and playing against that, I think he sees things really well,” Vrabel said. “I think he’s athletic enough to extend, like we talk about a lot of quarterbacks. The accuracy, I think the decision-making — he’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched, and this is even going back to when I was in Tennessee, as well.”

Ultimately, the Patriots went in a different direction this season, signing Joshua Dobbs to be Maye’s backup. Vrabel was asked why the Patriots did not sign Stidham.

“It was a long time ago,” he said. “I don’t really recall.”

Hollins eligible to return

Patriots receiver Mack Hollins, who hasn’t played since the Dec. 21 win against the Ravens, is eligible to return from injured reserve.

Hollins has missed the last four games with an abdominal injury. He finished third on the team in catches (46) and targets (65), with 550 receiving yards during the regular season.

At 6 feet 4 inches, he also is the tallest and heaviest of the Patriots’ receivers. He played 60 percent of the offensive snaps during the regular season, tops among Patriots receivers.

Vrabel did not say whether Hollins would be available for practice this week.

“I can’t be certain right now,” he said. “We’re just still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back. Josh Farmer could be eligible to come back, as well as Mack. But those aren’t decisions that we’ve made yet.”

Rookie Woodson shines

Safety Craig Woodson recorded his first playoff interception in Sunday’s victory over the Texans. He also recovered a fumble.

After the win, fellow safety Jaylinn Hawkins saw a group of reporters coming over for interviews. He pointed them in Woodson’s direction, telling them to talk to the rookie first. This was a moment they had envisioned weeks ago, and Hawkins wanted Woodson to be recognized for his efforts.

“I almost started crying. I was so happy, man,” Hawkins said. “We’ve been talking about it all year, like man, you’re so due for a pick. It’s coming. And it just came at the right moment, especially in a playoff game. For him to be a rookie and do what he’s doing is just so special. I’m proud of [him].”

Vrabel praised Woodson’s consistency throughout the season. The support from teammates has been helpful, Woodson said.

“Just trusting myself. Just having confidence out there,” he said. “I think it’s getting easier with my teammates supporting me, so just trusting the plays that I see and improving my tackling, and communication has gotten a lot better.”

Khari A. Thompson

Sports Reporter

Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.