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.
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.
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.
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