Broncos, QB Sam Ehlinger agree to one-year, $2 million deal, source says
Sam Ehlinger turned down chances to leave Denver in 2025.
Now he’s back for 2026, too.
The quarterback and the Broncos agreed to terms on a one-year, $2 million deal Sunday night, a source confirmed to The Post.
Ehlinger spent the 2025 season as the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham. That’s the way the Broncos quarterback room looks going into free agency, which begins Monday, as well. Stidham has reportedly drawn some trade interest, though Denver’s offensive brain trust led by head coach Sean Payton and now-offensive coordinator Davis Webb loved the way the room operated last year.
After Ehlinger signed with the Broncos about a month into free agency, Webb told The Post that Denver hadn’t pursued many quarterbacks to serve as a No. 3 and to push Stidham, but they liked what they saw in Ehlinger and made him a priority.
“I was always like, man, if somebody just spent a little more time mechanically with him or had a former quarterback coaching him, I think the best is yet to come for him,” Webb said in August. “When he was available and we needed a No. 3 or a guy that could push our No. 2, that was a pretty easy decision.”
In the middle of the season, Ehlinger had a tougher call to make. He had to decide between staying on Denver’s practice squad or returning to Indianapolis, where he spent the first four years of his career, for a spot on the 53-man roster after Colts starter Daniel Jones sustained a season-ending injury.
Ehlinger decided to stay with the Broncos. Denver was primed for a deep playoff run and Ehlinger had grown close with Nix and Stidham along with several others on the team, including long-time friend and former University of Texas teammate Brandon Jones.
He also saw a future developing with Payton and Webb.
“I think Davis is one of the best quarterback coaches in the league, and I think he’s on a fast track to doing whatever he wants,” Ehlinger said in August. “Our conversations during free agency, when making that decision, was that he believed in me. It was a rough couple first years there for a little bit (in Indy), but he really believed in me, watched the tape and and said, ‘I know what you’re capable of and I want you to come and develop and continue to get better, learn a new system.’”
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.