Patriots Analysis
Patriots 90-Man Roster Spotlight: Jacoby Brissett

The New England Patriots can have up to 90 players under contract during the offseason. Patriots Football Now will profile all 90 players (though there are currently 91 on the roster) over the upcoming months. Today’s featured player is quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
Jacoby Brissett
The New England Patriots selected Brissett in the third round (No. 91 overall) in the 2016 NFL Draft. New England drafted Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round two years earlier and had Tom Brady on the roster, so it was somewhat surprising to take a QB on Day 2 of the draft. However, with Brady serving a four-game suspension to start the 2016 season and Garoppolo getting injured, Brissett made his first NFL start in Week 3 of his rookie year.
On Sept. 22, 2016, Jacoby Brissett became the first African-American quarterback to start a game in Patriots franchise history. He enjoyed a successful debut, completing 11-of-19 passes in a 27-0 victory over the Houston Texans. He would start one more game for New England (a loss to Buffalo) before Brady returned and took over for the rest of the year. New England won the Super Bowl that season, making Brissett a champion as an NFL rookie.
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New England traded Brissett to Indianapolis for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett following the 2016 season. Brissett remained with the Colts for four seasons. Due to an injury to Andrew Luck, Brissett became the starting QB for Indianapolis in 2017. The team finished 4-11 in his 15 starts. He threw only seven interceptions but took a beating. Opponents sacked Brissett an NFL-high 52 times. Luck returned the following year but abruptly retired before the 2019 season. Brissett got another starting opportunity, this time going 7-8.
Brissett played for four teams in four seasons from 2000 to 2023, the Colts, Dolphins, Browns, and Commanders. He started 16 games in that span, going 6-10. His career record is 18-30. He accounted for 66 touchdowns (51 passing, 15 rushing) against 23 interceptions. Brissett returned to New England on March 12, 2024, agreeing to a deal in free agency.
Contract Status
Jacoby Brissett agreed to a one-year contract with the Patriots. According to Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, Brissett’s cap number for 2024 will be $7,882,353.
Based on @MikeReiss ‘ reporting we can deduce Jacoby Brissett's cap number is $7,882,353. Will be surprised if any of his $4M in incentives are categorized LTBE (Likely to be Earned).
— Patscap (@patscap) March 13, 2024
Quarterback Group
The New England Patriots have four quarterbacks on their 90-man offseason roster. Jacoby Brissett is joined by returning starter Bailey Zappe and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton III.
Outlook for Jacoby Brissett
Brissett sits atop New England’s depth chart at the moment. In OTAs, the veterans took reps first, with Brissett followed by Zappe, Maye, and Milton. Jacoby Brissett has an experience advantage in the NFL and with the current coaching staff. He played for offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, and several of his assistants, in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns.
New England targeted Jacoby Brissett for several reasons. He is a solid veteran quarterback who understands the importance of ball protection. Among active NFL quarterbacks with at least 1,000 career pass attempts, Brissett is tied with Aaron Rodgers for the lowest percentage of passes intercepted (1.4%). In addition to his familiarity with the coaching staff, he is in a specific level of NFL QB, which is exactly what New England was looking for. Brissett is good enough to be a serviceable starter, but he can also step aside when Drake Maye is ready to play.
Brissett has been lauded as a great teammate everywhere he’s been. Even if he doesn’t hold the starting job through training camp and preseason, Brissett would still be a valuable asset in the Patriots locker room as a mentor for their rookie quarterbacks.
Head coach Jerod Mayo stated that it is an “open competition” to be the New England Patriots starting quarterback in 2024. Jacoby Brissett enjoys the upper hand for now. Can he hold off Bailey Zappe and Drake Maye to be the Week 1 starter? That decision will supposedly be made in training camp. Brissett should have a significant impact on the Patriots, starter or not, based on his mentoring of Drake Maye. If the two quarterbacks develop a solid relationship, expect to see Jacoby Brissett in New England long beyond 2024.