4 viable backup QBs NY Giants should consider in 2020
Jacoby Brissett
The most tantalizing is often the most expensive. And that could be the case for current Indianapolis Colts’ backup Jacoby Brissett.
The Colts were one of the NFL’s quietly strong teams. Headed now by coach Frank Reich and quarterback Philip Rivers, the Colts went 11-5 and are locked in as the AFC’s seven seed in this year’s expanded playoffs.
But the Colts have to make a big decision when their run ends. In the absence of the early retirement of Andrew Luck, do the Colts re-sign 39-year-old Philip Rivers, do they re-sign Brissett, or do they go elsewhere?
Rivers started off slow but finished 10th in the league in passing with 4,169 yards. His 24 touchdown passes are the fewest within that top 10, but that’s in part to the Colts’ emerging running attack, which uses both rookie Jonathan Taylor and the ever-elusive Nyheim Hines as a formidable tandem.
Brissett has predominately been a backup throughout his five-year career. But it hasn’t stopped him from being a sought-after commodity in the NFL.
When both Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo went down, rookie Brissett stepped in and didn’t skip a beat. He went 1-1 as a starter, threw for 400 yards, no touchdowns, but more importantly no interceptions.
The small sample size was enough for the Colts to trade for Brissett. And despite going 4-11 as a starter in 2017 when Andrew Luck went down, the Colts believed in Brissett’s ability enough to give him a two-year extension before the 2019 season.
Brissett in a way is a similar player to Daniel Jones, and thus would make it interesting for them to play on the same team. While Brissett doesn’t necessarily look to use his legs, he has the ability to scramble if needed. In three games played for New England, he rushed 16 times for 83 yards. In the 2017 season, he ran 63 times for 260. And in 2019, he rushed 56 times for 228, which was 51 yards fewer than Jones that year.
His 2019 passing yards were also similar. Brissett threw for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. Jones threw for 3,027 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Brissett went 7-8 that season while Jones went 3-9.
What also makes Brissett a strong option is where he’s spent his time. He’s learned under Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, and Philip Rivers. Plus, his head coach is also a former NFL quarterback, with 13 seasons as a backup under his belt. Not many backups have that sort of pedigree.
And while Brissett’s ability would give Daniel Jones good competition to get better, his knowledge would give Jones insight into three of the best minds to ever play the position.
Brissett won’t be cheap; his 2019 extension was for $30 million, which means his floor going forward is the highest one on the list.
But Giants’ head coach Joe Judge was a New England special teams coordinator the year Brissett played for the Patriots. He would be wise to at least give this reunion a second look.