The Indianapolis Colts have two starting quarterback salaries to pay this season and presumably, they’ll shop Jacoby Brissett around for a trade.
The Colts made two aggressive moves early in the offseason after staying quiet last season. They traded for DeForest Buckner after making it known that interior defensive lineman was a sore spot for them all season. They also went out and got a short-term quarterback in Philip Rivers after not committing to Brissett fully this offseason. GM Chris Ballard has a fire to win and one thing is for sure, he’ll always find the players that gives the Colts the best chances at winning.
If the Colts release Brissett they’ll have about $12 million in cap space lost to dead money but save the nearly $9 million on a roster bonus owed to him. But, the more likely scenario is where they trade him away to a team who needs a quarterback. Here are a few scenarios I can see happening.
The Titans just released Marcus Mariota and signed Ryan Tannehill to a four-year contract extension but could look for depth at that position. The Titans defeated New England in the Divisional round before being killed by the eventual Super Bowl champs in the Kansas City Chiefs. Tennessee started to heat up down the stretch and really made a name for themselves.
Jacoby could help fulfill the backup role to Tannehill and make a good competition for the starting role to push both players into being better themselves. Chris Ballard also likes to build through the draft and having one extra pick is something he wouldn’t mind. What’s also a possibility is the Colts using this draft pick and their second to move up into the first round to get a Derrick Brown.
The Titans aren’t in need of a quarterback, but they could use the depth if they want to make a postseason run like they did last season.
The Redskins have been a quarterback away from being a good team for a few years now. Case Keenum was supposed to help but the firing of the coaching staff halfway through the season led to fans calling for Dwayne Haskins Jr. The young quarterback had a bumpy start and couldn’t get the job done.
However, the Redskins have a third-round pick I think they’d part ways with and let Keenum go for Brissett and allow a little more time for Haskins to develop. Washington doesn’t have the best team right now and the Colts do have their second-round pick at 34 overall. However, Brissett is an instant starter for their team. Not to mention, Keenum just signed with the Browns so Washington could be looking for a depth player.
Tom Brady is taking a walk a few thousand miles south it seams and for the first time in 20 years, the New England Patriots won’t have a franchise quarterback to have under center. The Patriots will always look to trade for players they think will help make their team better and this is one I think could happen within the next few weeks.
Brissett was originally on the Patriots squad when the Colts traded for him. New England could return the favor and take him back as he would be an instant starter for Bill and his scheme. Belichick likes game managers and likes to run the ball more than any other team it seems year after year. Couple that with a defense that’s lights out and you have yourself a recipe for a great team. Who knows, maybe the Colts will face Brissett in January again this season?
With Tom Brady gone in the AFC East the other three teams are going to look at taking down the champs. Josh Allen is still a work in progress and the Bills are in a win-now mode with their defense. Theoretically, they could send their third-round pick to the Colts for a legitimate day 1 starting quarterback.
Even with how awful the passing game was last season, the Bills have a set of receivers who are very fast and run great routes. Couple that with a defense that was one of the best and Brissett can manage the game to an AFC East crown for the Bills in 2020.