It wouldn’t be surprising if the Indianapolis Colts traded Jacoby Brissett before the 2020 NFL season. It would be surprising if he wound up back in New England.
The Brissett-to-the-Patriots speculation began percolating after the Colts used a fourth-round draft pick on quarterback Jacob Eason over the weekend. This came after Indy already had signed veteran Philip Rivers early in free agency, bumping Brissett out of his tenuous starting spot.
On the surface, the connection is understandable. The Patriots have uncertainty at the quarterback position with Tom Brady gone, and Brissett is an experienced starter who knows New England’s offense.
But … that’s about it.
Though he’s played well in spurts, Brissett has been, statistically speaking, one of the worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL since the Patriots traded him to the Colts for Phillip Dorsett days before the 2017 season.
Among the 24 QBs with at least 30 starts during that span, Brissett ranks:
— Third-to-last in passer rating (84.6). Only Andy Dalton and Joe Flacco are worse.
— Third-to-last in touchdown percentage (3.4 percent). Only Marcus Mariota and Flacco are worse.
— Second-to-last in yards per attempt (6.57). Only Flacco is worse.
— Dead last in completion percentage (59.8).
The fact that the Colts signed a big-name quarterback and drafted another less than 12 months after giving Brissett a three-year, $30 million contract with $20 million guaranteed should tell you all you need to know about the good-natured 27-year-old.
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The Patriots would be smart to carry a veteran QB who’s started games in the NFL to compete with and/or provide insurance behind 2019 fourth-round draft pick Jarrett Stidham, but they already have one in Brian Hoyer, whom Indianapolis cut loose after signing Rivers.
Even if Hoyer has diminished talent and a lower ceiling than the younger Brissett, he’s far, far cheaper — $1.05 million on his one-year contract, compared to the $7.86 million salary cap hit New England would take on if it acquired Brissett, according to cap expert Miguel Benzan — which matters given the Patriots’ current financial pinch. Hoyer also would be better suited for a mentorship role in the (likely) scenario that Stidham wins the starting job.
It’s worth noting, too, that Stidham, whose heir apparent status was bolstered by Bill Belichick’s decision to pass on all quarterbacks during the 2020 NFL Draft, performed significantly better last summer than Brissett did in either of his two Patriots training camps.
Stidham had the most impressive rookie preseason of any Patriots quarterback in recent memory. Brissett looked uninspiring right up until he torched a bunch of New York Giants third-stringers in the final game of his second NFL summer, after which New England, knowing his value would never be higher, immediately flipped him for Dorsett.
The Patriots knew when to cut bait on Brissett three years ago. Bringing him back now, at his cap number, wouldn’t compute.
