Jacoby Brissett - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Murray, Colts, RGIII

October 30th, 2016 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick swing around the AFC:

Titans RB DeMarco Murray had an MRI on his toe after Thursday night’s victory over Jacksonville, and the prognosis is good, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport’s source indicated that Murray will be fine.
Kevin Bowen of Colts.com believes that Colts TE Jack Doyle has established himself as a starting-caliber tight end, and that his free agent platform year has come at a perfect time for him. Bowen says Doyle will be one of Indianapolis’ most important free agents this offseason and that he could pull down a contract with a $5MM average annual value.
Colts DE Kendall Langford, who has the the longest active games-played streak among all NFL defensive linemen (135), will see that streak come to an end, according to Andrew Walker of Colts.com. Langford continues to deal with a right knee issue that required minor surgery during training camp, and he will sit out an indeterminate amount of time to give that knee a chance to fully heal.
Neema Hodjat of OverTheCap.com examines what a potential extension for Raiders QB Derek Carr might look like. This is Carr’s third year in the league, so he will be eligible to receive an extension at the end of this season. Assuming he continues to play at a high level, Carr should command a five-year deal worth upwards of $110MM, according to Hodjat. And the Raiders, who have done a terrific job managing the salary cap in recent years, will be able to shell out that kind of money without much hesitation.
Browns QB Robert Griffin III does not need surgery at this time, so he could possibly return somewhere between the November 20 game against the Steelers and the Dececmber 11 matchup against the Bengals after the bye week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cabot believes the Browns should get RGIII some action this year if possible, as they have to decide if they need to draft a quarterback in April.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe opines that the Patriots‘ recent trades for Kyle Van Noy and Eric Rowe indicate that the team is preparing for significant free agent losses this offseason. Both players are under club control through at least 2017, and they are playing on fairly inexpensive deals. Van Noy will serve as insurance should one or both of Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower depart in free agency, and Rowe will offset the potential losses of Malcolm Butler and/or Logan Ryan.
Volin tweets that Jacoby Brissett could be the Patriots‘ one player to return from IR this season.

Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett To Have Surgery

October 7th, 2016 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Jacoby Brissett will have surgery on his injured thumb, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With Tom Brady returning this week, the Pats can afford to have Brissett sidelined as he recovers. The quarterback will be placed on IR.

Jimmy Garoppolo got the call when Brady was suspended to start the season and Brissett was tasked with the job once Kiko Alonso‘s big hit left Garoppolo with a shoulder injury. Brissett was steady for the rest of that game against the Dolphins and also led the Patriots to victory against the Texans in the following game. Unfortunately, he was not as sharp in Week 4 when the Patriots were shut out by the Bills 16-0.

Now, the Patriots have their star QB back and Garoppolo should be back in the lineup before long. Brissett will be stashed on IR with an eye on 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jacoby Brissett May Have Surgery

October 2nd, 2016 at 12:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jacoby Brissett got the start for the Patriots today after the club determined that Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn’t be able to go against the Bills. But once Tom Brady returns for Week 5, Brissett may undergo surgery to repair his ongoing thumb injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit during a win over the Dolphins, Brissett was put into a game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans in Week 3. Brissett, however, suffered a thumb injury in the rout and was listed as questionable for today’s contest.

If Garoppolo is able to return in the near future, New England would be set at backup quarterback, allowing Brissett to take all the time he needs to recover. Whether or not the Patriots would place the third-round rookie on injured reserve to free up a roster spot is unclear, but if the club does look to sign an outside option, former Texan/Falcon T.J. Yates has been called New England’s “free agent of choice.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jacoby Brissett To Start For Patriots

October 2nd, 2016 at 9:41am CST by Dallas Robinson

Rookie Jacoby Brissett will start at quarterback for the Patriots today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brissett and New England will face the Bills as the club seeks to jump out to a 4-0 start.

Jimmy Garoppolo, meanwhile, will be inactive today as he continues to deal with an AC joint injury, tweets Schefter. The third-year pro required a shot to practice last week, and was limited to roughly 100 throws per day (as opposed to the typical gameday total of 200 or so), per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pain management and strength had been the two obstacles to a Garopppolo start, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link), and it’s the latter that will keep Garoppolo on the sidelines.

After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit during a win over the Dolphins, Brissett was put into a game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans in Week 3. Brissett, however, suffered a thumb injury in the rout and was listed as questionable for today’s contest.

Given that New England doesn’t have another quarterback on its roster, wide receiver Julian Edelman will presumably serve as the backup signal-caller once again. Tom Brady, of course, will return from suspension and start against the Browns in Week 5.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Unsure Which QB Will Start Vs. Bills

October 1st, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots are still uncertain as to which quarterback — Jimmy Garoppolo or Jacoby Brissett — will start Sunday’s game against the Bills tomorrow, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. New England will likely wait to see how each signal-caller fares in pre-game warmups before making a final decision.

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder in the Patriots’ 31-24 win over Miami in Week 2. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put into game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans in Week 3. Brissett, however, suffered a thumb injury in the rout and is questionable for tomorrow’s AFC East matchup.

Before succumbing to his injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’d presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.

New England has not made any plans to sign a free agent quarterback, suggesting that the club is confident that at least one of Garoppolo or Brissett will be able to go Sunday. T.J. Yates, formerly of the Texans and Falcons, has been called the Patriots’ “free agent of choice” if they had decided to bring in an outside option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Eye QB Signing As Last Resort

September 25th, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Riding high after a dominant Week 3 win despite the involvement of a rookie third-string quarterback, the Patriots do not plan to deviate from how they’ve approached their most important position this season. Well, if they can help it.

The Patriots will sign a quarterback before Week 4 only as a last-resort measure, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. They view the roster spot as valuable and don’t want to send a player to waivers or free agency, depending on service time, unless it’s absolutely necessary.

New England’s already vanquished two 2015 playoff teams without Tom Brady and has used both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett to do so. Respective shoulder and thumb injuries leave Garoppolo and Brissett questionable to be ready for the Pats’ Week 4 Bills tilt — the team’s final game before Brady is eligible to return from his suspension.

Conflicting reports have emerged about the respective availability of Brady’s backups, with one indicating the team expects both to be able to suit up and another suggesting the team is hopeful at least one will.

Florio notes if word comes in Monday that gives a firm indication neither player will be ready to play by next weekend, the team could look to sign a quarterback. The Patriots brought in T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree last week but opted to sign neither. With it being unlikely the Pats would rule out either passer that early in the week, the team could again look to take its chances with Julian Edelman as a possible emergency quarterback.

Although, the former Kent State passer isn’t the only non-quarterback on New England’s roster with high-level signal-calling experience, as Florio points out. Second-year tight end A.J. Derby played quarterback at three schools — Iowa, Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College, and Arkansas — before being moved to tight end later during his Razorbacks stay. Edelman, though, has been in this system for eight seasons, and Derby threw just 42 passes in Division I competition. Despite his standing as a running quarterback, Edelman threw 706 in three seasons with the Golden Flashes.

Patriots Unsure Who Will Start At QB In Week 4

September 25th, 2016 at 4:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots aren’t sure who will be under center in Week 4 against the Bills, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. While one recent report suggested that New England expects to have both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett available, Schefter says the situation is tad more uncertain. The Pats are “hopeful” that at last one of Garoppolo or Brissett will be ready to play, while there’s a chance that both could be good to go.

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday night.

Before succumbing to injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’s presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.

There’s a small chance that neither Garoppolo or Brissett will be healthy enough to play next week, according to Schefter. In that case, the Patriots would sign a free agent quarterback, and T.J. Yates, who recently met with the club, would be an “ideal candidate.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Jimmy Garoppolo, Jacoby Brissett

September 23rd, 2016 at 7:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Multiple reports flooded in after news of Jacoby Brissett‘s thumb injury broke, but as the most recent reports have indicated, it doesn’t sound as though the Patriots quarterback will require surgery. In fact, the “sense” is that New England expects both Brissett and fellow signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo to be available for its Week 4 contest against the Bills, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder on Sunday in the team’s 31-24 win over Miami. After Garoppolo was taken out by Kiko Alonso‘s hit, Brissett was put in the game for the first time in his NFL career. The third-round rookie got the job done, completing 6-of-9 passes as he guided New England the rest of the way, and then led the Patriots to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday night.

Before succumbing to injury, the 24-year-old Garoppolo had been excellent, completing 42-of-60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins. At least one report suggested that the Patriots were pressuring Garoppolo to quickly return to the field — despite the fact that he reportedly couldn’t lift his arm — and he’s presumably get the start against Buffalo if healthy. Tom Brady, of course, will return in Week 5 to start against the Browns.

It’s still possible that the Patriots could look to sign a quarterback before their next game, and the club did audition free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree this week. However, team president Jonathan Kraft recently explained that New England doesn’t want to add another QB — and thus, cut another player from elsewhere on the roster — unless it absolutely has to.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jacoby Brissett Suffers Thumb Injury

September 23rd, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

2:41pm: Brissett won’t need surgery, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN. “No tear, it’s fine,” a Patriots source told Russini via text (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

2:13pm: Brissett’s injury is a sprain – and not a particularly serious one – a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Still, he’s likely to miss a few weeks, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

1:29pm: Misfortune continues piling up at quarterback for the Patriots, who have now lost rookie Jacoby Brissett to an injury. Brissett suffered a torn right thumb ligament in the Patriots’ 27-0 win over the Texans on Thursday and will likely need surgery, Mike Petraglia of WEEI reports (via Twitter).

Brissett was only under center for the Patriots because Jimmy Garoppolo succumbed to a shoulder injury in Week 2. And Garoppolo was only starting because of Tom Brady‘s four-game Deflategate suspension. Nevertheless, the Patriots have survived the absence of their future Hall of Fame signal-caller with three straight wins to begin the season.

In their latest victory, Brissett didn’t do much through the air in his first career start, completing 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards, but the third-round pick from North Carolina State amassed 48 rushing yards on eight carries and torched the Texans on a 27-yard touchdown scamper. Between Thursday’s start and his Week 2 work in relief of Garoppolo, Brissett has begun his NFL career 17 of 28 for 195 yards as a passer.

The fact that New England has extra time to prepare for its Week 4 matchup against Buffalo could bode well for a potential Garoppolo return, but the team still might add a free agent signal-caller as insurance. The Patriots elected against that prior to Thursday, instead relying on wide receiver Julian Edelman – a former QB at Kent State – to back up Brissett. They did work out free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, though.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Sankey, Jets, Dolphins

June 16th, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots seem likely to look for another running back in the coming months, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who wonders if New England could show interest in Titans back Bishop Sankey. Sankey isn’t expected to make Tennessee’s final roster, so he could likely be had for minimal compensation — or the Pats could simply wait until Sankey is waived and try to pluck him then. If and when he is cut loose by the Titans, Sankey shouldn’t be on the street for long, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (Twitter link) that multiple clubs have already expressed interest in the former second-round pick.

Let’s take a look at the latest out of the AFC East…

Though most rookie contracts are now a breeze, clubs and agents can begin to negotiate a bit starting in the third round, a topic that Reiss has examined in the past. Writing in a separate column today, Reiss notes that the Patriots‘ Jacoby Brissett (who officially inked his rookie deal earlier today) is one of just two third-round picks who received 100% of their maximum allowable slotted compensation — the other, unsurprisingly, is also a quarterback, Cody Kessler of the Browns. The value of the QB position is such that even third-round picks can exert a little bit of leverage as they hammer out deals.
Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said earlier today that the Jets “don’t want” him, but that sentiment isn’t quite right, argues Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. New York does want Wilkerson, per Florio, but it simply wants to keep him for a single year at a cost of around $15MM, rather than sign to a long-term extension. With fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams in tow, the Jets can continue to play hardball, hoping that their draft-and-develop strategy will allow them to find the next Wilkerson instead of paying for the current iteration.
Running back Kenyan Drake suffered an injury scare on Wednesday, but he’ll be ready for the start of training camp, Dolphins coach Adam Gase tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. On Wednesday evening, Drake formally signed his rookie contract. He’s expected to be Miami’s No. 2 back behind Jay Ajayi.
In other Dolphins news, veteran Dallas Thomas is starting ahead of first-round pick Laremy Tunsil at guard, at least thus far in practice, writes Jackson in a separate column. “You’ve got to earn your spot,” said Gase, who, it should be noted, did downplay the importance of who is starting at this point in the year. “I don’t think you’ve seen anyone get plugged in and anointed anything. Everybody’s battling. That’s what we want.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.