General manager Chris Ballard said "the jury is still out" on Brissett, Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports. "Jacoby did some good things," Ballard said Thursday. "But our passing game has to improve. The jury is still out. That's why we did the short-term deal we did."
Ballard did add a slightly more favorable comment: "Right now, I'll say Jacoby is our starting quarterback." Of course, it could be argued that 'right now' is the crucial part of the quote, with the implication that the Colts will try to find an upgrade. Brissett led the team to a 5-2 start while averaging two touchdown passes per game, but the season began to unravel when he suffered a knee injury Week 9 in Pittsburgh. He only missed one game, but his performance over the final two months was subpar, with the 27-year-old completing 56.4 percent of passes for 6.1 yards per attempt and four touchdowns in seven games (2-5 record). Brissett is signed through 2020 on a one-year extension with a $21.5 million cap hit, including $5.5 million that has already been paid and another $7 million that's guaranteed, per overthecap.com. The Colts have more than enough cap space to bring in veteran competition, and they also have a nice haul of 2020 draft picks in the early rounds (Nos. 13, 34, 44, 75).