Jake “the Snake” Plummer signed with the Denver Broncos as a free agent before the 2003 season and was their starting quarterback for 2003 through most of the 2006 season. He led the Broncos to a 40-18 record, including playoff appearances in each of his first three seasons with the team. An electric but inconsistent dual-threat quarterback, his frequent interceptions and effective bootleg runs were hallmarks of his time as a Denver Bronco.
Plummer came to a Broncos team that had missed the playoffs each of the previous two years, and that only had one playoff appearance since John Elway retired following the 1998 season.