Will Jacoby Brissett be a Colt in 2021?
By: Trenton Roberts (Twitter: @TRobertsNFL)
The 2021 quarterback market has already gotten off to a hot start, with John Stafford and Jared Goff swapping teams on Sunday. The trade market includes many names that might be made available, including Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold, Kirk Cousins, and even Aaron Rodgers.
Looking at the Free Agency group, however, you find a much bleaker picture. Led by young star Dak Prescott, the class looks fine, but considering the likelihood that he returns to Dallas, the class is left with Cam Newton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Jacoby Brissett leading the charge.
With many teams still in need of a starter, there is a strong possibility that one or more of these names find a starting role in 2021. Today, we will look at just one of those names: Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett started 15 games in both 2017 and 2019 for the Colts, with Andrew Luck being injured for most of the 2017 campaign followed by his surprising retirement prior to the 2019 season.
As one of the few quarterbacks with starting experience available, Brissett will likely be a hot commodity come the opening of free agency. Despite a 12-20 career record as a starter, the following teams are likely to give the signal-caller a long look this offseason:
New England Patriots:
This is the most obvious landing spot for Brissett, and everyone who watched the NFL prior to 2017 should understand why.
Brissett has past experience with this team.
In 2016, Brissett started 2 games for New England after both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo went down to injury. He split those games, finishing with one win and one loss, and throwing for 400 yards while rushing for another 83 and a score.
Since Brady left in the 2020 offseason, the team has thrown a combined 12 touchdowns (2 from a receiver) to 14 picks. The Cam Newton experiment was a colossal failure, as despite his 12 rushing scores, the team fell to 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season.
Brissett makes sense for the team, as he has prior experience with coach Bill Belicheck and many of the players on the roster.
Chicago Bears:
The Chicago Bears are a struggling team.
With the failure of quarterback Mitchell Trubisky still stinging, the team is propped up by a strong defense each year.
Unfortunately, that strong defense is also what’s keeping them out of the running for a new quarterback.
Since losing in the wildcard round in 2018, the Bears have finished 8-8 in each of their past two seasons, leading to them picking in the mid-late teens each season. Unable to draft a new young option, they are now left scrambling to find the piece they need to lead their offense to the playoffs.
Brissett might be that guy.
In his career, Brissett has thrown 31 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions, making him a great candidate to fill in a similar role to Titans QB Ryan Tannehill. In Tennessee, Tannehill has found success as an efficient passer for a run-based offense and a strong defense. Brissett may be to Chicago what Tannehill has been for the Titans.
If that is the case, the Bears must at least consider this option for their future.
Indianapolis Colts:
This one makes so much yet so little sense at the same time.
If Brissett were to return to Indianapolis, he would return as a fan and teammate favorite, although likely as a backup. With the Colts looking to add a quarterback this offseason to push the team further into the playoffs, Brissett returning as a starter wouldn’t make sense.
However, if the team were to bring in a quarterback similar to Philip Rivers, one that lacked mobility, a return could make a lot more sense than one would think.
As the backup to Rivers in 2020, Brissett found a surprisingly large role in the offense, taking the majority of the short yardage snaps.
On 47 offensive snaps, Brissett was very effective:
- Rushing: 17 attempts, 19 yards, 3 touchdowns, 9 first downs
- 2 completions, 8 attempts, 17 yards 1 first down
His efficiency on these short-yardage and goal-line snaps was amazing, so it isn’t out of the question that the Colts would want to bring him back to fill a similar role (albeit for cheaper) in 2021.
Closing:
In a 2021 free agency class that doesn’t feature the same quality as the 2020 class, there will be a few quarterbacks who find a new home this offseason.
Jacoby Brissett could return to a starting role this offseason, and would bring excitement and a fun personality to whichever team decides to bring him in.
With many options open, Brissett could very well be starting for his third team in his career come August.
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