Pats Pulpit
Brissett will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
The New England Patriots have already restructured their coaching staff for the second consecutive offseason. Now it is time for the real work with an expected overhaul of the roster coming.
Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen with over $125 million in projected cap space, there are also a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. In total, 15 are in need of a new contract prior to free agency.
Among them is quarterback Jacoby Brissett, the first player in our free agency profile series.
Name: Jacoby Brissett
Position: Quarterback
Opening day age: 32 (12/11/1991)
Size: 6’4”, 235 lbs
Jersey number: 7
Free agency status: Unrestricted free agent (UFA)
Brissett began his collegiate career at the University of Florida before transferring to North Carolina State. In two seasons as the Wolfpack’s starting quarterback, he completed 458 of 765 pass attempts (59.8%) for 5,258 yards, 43 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while adding 899 yards on the ground with nine scores.
His play led to Brissett being a target for the Patriots in the 2016 NFL Draft. The team selected him 91st overall in the third round where he originally served as their No. 3 option on the depth chart behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. Nonetheless, a suspension to Brady and injuries to Garoppolo forced Brissett into three games (two starts) for the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Brissett went 34-of-55 (61.8%) for 400 yards with 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground — that came in a primetime win in his first career start. But even though he had shown promise his rookie year, the Patriots decided to send him to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett ahead of the 2017 season.
Brissett spent four years as a Colt and started 30 total games. He signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2021, adding five more starts to his résumé, before another one-and-done stint with the Cleveland Browns in 2022. After 11 starts as a Brown, he then joined the Commanders in a backup capacity the following offseason.
Returning to New England last offseason on a one-year deal, Brissett started the first five games of the season before reverting to the bench for rookie Drake Maye. Maye praised the veteran, who won a game vs. the Jets in relief after the rookie went down with an injury, for his help behind the scenes throughout the year.
Stats: 8 games (5 starts) | 351 offensive snaps | 95-of-161 (59.0%), 826 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT | 15 carries, 62 yards
Season recap: Reuniting with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in New England, Brissett operated as the lead man in the Patriots four-person QB room during the spring. While the coaches then deemed training camp as a quarterback competition between the veteran and rookie,...
