Jacoby Brissett teams timeline: How veteran QB went from failed Colts starter to Cardinals backup

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• Jacoby Brissett teams timeline
• New England Patriots, 2016
• Indianapolis Colts, 2017-20
• Miami Dolphins, 2021
• Cleveland Browns, 2022
• Washington Commanders, 2023
• New England Patriots, 2024
• Arizona Cardinals, 2025
• Jacoby Brissett career stats

Once upon a time, Jacoby Brissett was viewed as a potential successor to Tom Brady in New England. A decade later, that sounds outlandish based on how history transpired -- but still, Brissett has carved out a nice NFL career over various stops.

An established journeyman, the NC State product was drafted by the New England Patriots but soon found himself as the Indianapolis Colts' starter in the late 2010s when Andrew Luck was either injured or retired.

In the 2025 season, Brissett is now a 32-year-old backup for the Arizona Cardinals, with whom he started for in Week 6 against his former Colts team.

Here's a breakdown of Brissett's career full of NFL stops, including six different franchises.

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Jacoby Brissett teams timeline

New England Patriots, 2016

Brissett, who spent two years at Florida and three at NC State in college, was selected by the Patriots with the 91st overall pick in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. His quarterback draft class included Jared Goff, Carson Wentz and Paxton Lynch.

There were no immediate plans for Brissett to become a starter in New England, which still had Brady aging like fine wine. However, with Brady serving a four-game suspension to begin the 2016 season, Brissett did make his debut quickly -- when temporary QB1 Jimmy Garopollo went down with a Week 2 injury, he stepped in for 92 passing yards to finish off a win over the Dolphins.

Brissett also started in Week 3, passing for 103 yards and running for a 27-yard touchdown. Although he started in Week 4 as well, the Patriots wound up placing him on IR when Brady returned due to a thumb injury.

The Patriots won Super Bowl LI in the 2016 season, although Brissett was inactive for that game.

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Indianapolis Colts, 2017-20

Days before the 2017 season, the Colts acquired Brissett in exchange for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, needing a quarterback to replace the injured Andrew Luck.

Throughout the 2017 season, Brissett made 15 starts and totaled 3,098 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, along with 260 yards and four scores on the ground. However, Indianapolis went 4-12 in games he appeared in.

Brissett went back to the bench in 2018 when Luck returned. He appeared in just four games that season, and was initially set to back up Luck again in 2019.

However, Luck then stunned the NFL world before the 2019 season, opting to retire and leaving the Colts scrambling for options. Brissett was named the new QB1, also signing an extension. He made 15 starts in 2019, totaling 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions through the air with a 7-8 record in those games.

Brissett returned to Indianapolis' backup role in 2020, this time the insurance option to Philip Rivers. While he was used occasionally for his size in short-yardage rushing situations, Brissett was QB2 to finish out his time with the Colts.

Miami Dolphins, 2021

Brissett spent the 2021 season in Miami on a one-year deal. He wound up being needed as an injury replacement to Tua Tagovailoa, appearing in 11 games with five starts.

In those games, Brissett put up 1,283 passing yards, five touchdown passes and four interceptions for the Dolphins.

Cleveland Browns, 2022

Once again, Brissett signed a one-year deal in the 2022 offseason to join the Cleveland Browns. Initially, he was set to be a backup -- but in the wake of Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension, Brissett became the starter.

In all 11 of the games without Watson, Brissett started at quarterback for Cleveland. In that stint, the team went 4-7 as Brissett totaled 2,608 passing yards and 14 total touchdowns.

Washington Commanders, 2023

Brissett inked a one-year, $10 million deal with the Washington Commanders in the 2023 offseason. However, he didn't appear in a game until late in the season, when the team was out of playoff contention.

Over three late-season appearances for Washington, Brissett had 224 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

New England Patriots, 2024

Brissett had a reunion in the 2024 offseason by signing with the Patriots, the team that drafted him. He was named the starting quarterback in the first season without Bill Belichick in New England, becoming Jerod Mayo's QB1 over rookie Drake Maye.

Despite leading a surprising Week 1 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Brissett's luck in New England didn't last long. He was benched in Week 6, as Maye took over the offense for the remainder of the season, outside of a few injury exits.

Arizona Cardinals, 2025

Brissett signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals in the 2025 offseason, becoming a backup to Kyler Murray.

He was needed by Week 6 of the 2025 season, when Murray dealt with a foot injury. In a start against his former Colts squad, Brissett totaled 320 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception in a 31-27 loss.

Brissett to McBride! Cardinals take the lead in Indy.

AZvsIND on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/iHYmAZsPfV

— NFL (@NFL) October 12, 2025

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Jacoby Brissett career stats

Here's a look at Brissett's career numbers.