The Indianapolis Colts have a number of former coaches working in the NFL, but none are head coaches. Instead, former Indy head coach Frank Reich is now the offensive coordinator for the New York Jets. Reich was always a better OC than head man anyway.
His problem is that the talent the Jets have on offense isn't good. His scheme will need to be greater than the sum of his pieces. One way of helping him reach a higher level of efficiency than he might otherwise is to have former players who know the system playing in it.
One of those players could be quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Brissett was twice the full-time starter for the Colts at quarterback. The first time was in 2017 when Chuck Pagano was the head coach. The quarterback's play was just meh.
Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett could join former Indy coach Frank Reich with the Jets
In 2019, Brissett was QB1 while Reich was the head coach, and he was much better. He threw 18 touchdown passes against just six interceptions, the kind of play that New York is probably going to need in 2026. Brissett might not ever lead the NFL in passing yards or touchdowns, but he also isn't going to throw many interceptions.
His aversions to turnovers elevate an offense that is limited in terms of talent, but at least it isn't giving the ball away a lot. Brissett isn't going to turn Frank Reich's system into its best version, but he will make it better than a lot of other quarterbacks.
Jacoby Brissett is currently under contract with the Arizona Cardinals for 2026, but he might be a strong candidate to be released. His cap hit next season is $9,190,000, but the Cardinals can save $7,440,000 by releasing him. They might do as the hope is that Kyler Murray will finally stay healthy and decent.
Plus, the Cardinals will have a new head coach, and the team might do a bit of a rebuild. Or simply build. Arizona hasn't been good in a bit, and they are in the terribly difficult NFC West. Brissett might simply be a relatively inexpensive quarterback on the roster, but an extra one.
Meanwhile, the New York Jets have four quarterbacks on their projected 2026 roster, but none are very good. Jacoby Brissett might be a one-year rental, but one who makes sense to be a bridge for Frank Reich's offense before the team can draft a quarterback in 2027, as the 2026 draft is not deep with high-end quarterbacks.