Could the Colts trade Jacoby Brissett?

With the veteran trade market heating up, many Colts fans are asking the same question, how much could Chris Ballard receive for Jacoby Brissett? The New Orleans Saints gave up a third round pick to the New York Jets for Teddy Bridgewater and a sixth round pick. The Green Bay Packers received a sixth round pick from the Seattle Seahawks for Brett Hundley.

This tells you there certainly is a market for NFL teams to acquire top-tier back up QBs. The Philadelphia Eagles made it apparent that having a serviceable backup is a must for any team expecting to be a contender. A playoff contender may be willing to part with a draft pick to ensure their season is not completely derailed by a single injury. Prior to the deal with New Orleans, rumors swirled that the Los Angeles Rams were looking to trade for Bridgewater.

For the Colts, the Bridgewater trade should set the bar for an acceptable minimum return. They received the equivalent of a 4th round pick in exchange for him. Brissett may be even more valuable than that to some teams. Jim Irsay has said he believes Brissett is worth a 1st round pick, although Colts fans know Mr. Irsay can get excited and may over-exaggerate at times.

For example, according to Football Outsiders, Jacoby Brissett was the most accurate quarterback in the NFL on downfield throws. This takes into account drops by wide receivers on accurate throws downfield, which we all know there were many. In fact, Colts receivers dropped a league high 19 passes that were considered accurate.

It can be argued Brissett is more valuable than Bridgewater. First, Brissett has two years left on his rookie contract. That’s a significant bargaining chip for teams. Second, Brissett does not have anywhere near the injury concerns as Bridgewater does. Brissett has a stronger arm than Bridgewater. Both quarterbacks are considered accurate, as Bridgewater was the most accurate quarterback the last time he played a full season. Both quarterbacks are young, 25 years old.

There is one team openly complaining about their back up quarterback situation, the Oakland Raiders. Jon Gruden was very high on Jacoby Brissett leading up to the 2016 draft. Gruden believed Brissett could be a sleeper in the draft. There hasn’t been as much chatter regarding Gruden and Brissett recently, as that’d be tampering, but it’s hard to believe his opinion has changed much. Chris Ballard may also dangle Brissett as a trade chip in an attempt to pry away All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack from Oakland. While this is highly doubtful, it still is something to consider.

Another team who is looking to upgrade their backup quarterback is the previously mentioned Los Angeles Rams. The Rams love to make trades in hopes to win now. They traded away their 2019 second round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Marcus Peters. They’d likely offer a third round pick for Brissett because the Rams expect to get two third round compensatory picks for losing Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins. However, a third round pick may not be enough to entice Ballard to make a deal.

The Jacksonville Jaguars need a starting quarterback and a backup quarterback but there’s no way Ballard makes that trade. Thank goodness they didn’t get Bridgewater.

Other contenders, like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Los Angeles Chargers, could be looking to improve their backup quarterback situation as well. Regardless, as teams start to make these trades and top caliber backup quarterbacks come off the the market, other teams begin to worry they may be left without a chair.

Realistically, Chris Ballard is unlikely to move Jacoby Brissett right now for anything less than a second round pick. However, if there is an injury to a starting quarterback early in the season, Ballard could get a sweetheart of a deal for Brissett.