As the Indianapolis Colts look to the future, one of the biggest question marks is what will happen at quarterback. For now, Anthony Richardson is still seen as the future of the franchise, though the 2025 season will be a make-or-break one for him. And in that vein, the Colts have been talking openly about bringing in new quarterbacks - both to serve as a back-up and mentor for Richardson, and as possible competition.
Joe Flacco, the current QB2, is a free agent who is also pushing 40; it seems highly unlikely that he will remain in Indianapolis. General manager Chris Ballard, in his season-ending press conference, indicated that he is looking to have new competitors come in, something Richardson also acknowledged and seemingly embraced.
"I’m a natural competitor. I’ve been competing all my life. I love competing. So, if the team feels like that’s the right direction we want to go in, I’m all for it. I’m competing. If not, I’m still here competing, working. Working my tail off to be the best version I can for this team. So, I can’t really control everything that comes with the NFL, but I know I can control what I can and I’m going to do my part to be the best version of myself for this organization."Anthony Richardson
While various candidates have been suggested, one in particular has surfaced that might make Colts fans optimistic: Jacoby Brissett.
Brissett took the reins as QB1 after Andrew Luck abruptly retired. His first season as starter, in 2019, mostly went well, though the Colts overall seemed to fall apart in the second half, Brissett included. In the first half, however, he played well, and was even named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In 2020, the Colts signed Philip Rivers and Brissett was relegated to a backup quarterback, where he remained until leaving the team in 2021.
Currently, Brissett is QB2 for the New England Patriots. He started off at QB1, but rookie Drake Maye took over after Brissett was benched mid-season, though he did fill in during Week 8 after Maye was injured.
The Patriots have made it clear that Maye is their future, and so the best Brissett can hope for in New England is QB2 - and even that is up in the air. It's been rumored that the Patriots are interested in Joe Milton III as Maye's backup, which would push Brissett back to QB3. That's not something he'll likely be interested in.
Brissett's contract in New England was only for one year, so he is available for another team to take if they're interested. Cam Garretty of Patriots Wire suggested that Indianapolis would be a good place for Brissett to land; he would have a good possibility of playing time at QB2, and he is reliable enough to be able to step in if Richardson is injured or implodes again. The Colts could sign Brissett to a one-year contract without costing much money, making him an attractive prospect for the notoriously stingy Ballard.