Patriots Reportedly Have Reunion In Place By Adding Veteran QB

The offseason plan at the quarterback position is taking shape for the New England Patriots.

The Patriots took a big step in putting that plan into place Monday night when they agreed to terms with veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett on a one-year contract, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. Brissett’s deal reportedly is worth $8 million.

It’s a reunion for Brissett and the Patriots. New England drafted Brissett in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft and Brissett spent his rookie season as the Patriots’ third-stringer behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. Brissett did start two games that season with Brady serving a four-game suspension and Garoppolo sidelined due to injury.

Brissett will serve an important purpose for the Patriots this time around. It’s expected that the 31-year-old will be New England’s bridge quarterback for at least one season, allowing the franchise to slowly groom whatever young signal-caller — most likely either Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye — they potentially select at No. 3 overall in next month’s NFL draft.

Brissett, who the Patriots traded to the Indianapolis Colts prior to the 2017 season, comes back to New England with plenty of experience. The North Carolina State product played four seasons for the Colts and spent the last three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders.

Brissett has primarily been a backup in his eight-year NFL career, but does have a decent amount of starting experience, too. He has started 48 games — 30 of those came with the Colts — and posted an 18-30 record.

Brissett’s time with the Browns was important as he reunites with new Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who held that same position when Brissett was with Cleveland in 2022. Brissett started 11 games that year, completing 64% of his passes for 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions.

New England’s quarterback room took on a much different look in the last 48 hours. The Patriots not only added Brissett, but also reportedly traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday for a sixth-round pick.