Jacoby Brissett Trade Rumors: Colts Open to Keeping QB After Rivers Contract

Jacoby Brissett's future in Indianapolis was in question the moment the Colts decided to reportedly sign Philip Rivers to a one-year, $25 million deal. But it appears the Colts may be willing to hold on to Brissett. 

According to Stephen Holder of The Athletic, "Team sources have indicated the Colts are not opposed to keeping Brissett on the roster. It almost appears to be their intent at the moment."

That doesn't mean the Colts won't consider trading Brissett, given that he would be a relatively expensive backup. But it's hardly an inevitability, as Holder noted:

"The Colts owe Brissett a guaranteed $7 million bonus on Sunday. The money is his whether he gets traded, cut or otherwise. If the Colts eat that money, a trade becomes a viable solution. Brissett would be owed $8 million total in base salary and bonuses at that point, a sum that his new team would be required to pay.

One front-office source from another team described that amount as 'very reasonable' given what Brissett provides."

Brissett, 27, offered a mixed bag as Indy's starter in 2019 after Andrew Luck shockingly retired before the season, throwing for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just 60.9 percent of his passes. 

The Colts went 7-9, missing the playoffs, and the addition of Rivers made it pretty clear that the Colts front office is ready to move on from Brissett as the starter. 

Keeping him as a backup would make sense, however. While Rivers was brought in to be the starter, he's also 38 years old. Having a reliable backup would safeguard against injury or a drastic decline in play. 

But as Holder noted, the Colts have a long-term vacancy at the position, which means they could also address it in the draft.

"We could draft someone," owner Jim Irsay said in February, per Holder. "That's a possibility. It doesn't have to be in the first round. There's a lot of good players out there."

Adding Rivers and a young signal-caller in the draft could make Brissett surplus to requirements. In that case, putting him on the block would be justifiable. So the Colts may be fine keeping him, but it wouldn't be shocking if he were on a new team next season, either.