Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts elected to make a change under center this offseason, as they went out and signed former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers in free agency. The Jacoby Brissett experiment is over -- at least for now. Rivers isn't expected to be the long-term answer for the Colts -- as he signed just a one-year deal -- but Brissett again finds himself on the bench as the No. 2 signal-caller. On Friday, Brissett spoke with reporters publicly for the first time since Indianapolis signed Rivers, and he said that he's confident he will be a starter in the NFL again, but admitted he doesn't know where that might be.
"I still believe in myself, I still believe I'm a starter in this league, and I still believe I can play at a very high level and I believe I did that last year," Brissett said, according to ESPN's Mike Wells. "I know I'll be a starter in this league again one day, wherever that may be."
Brissett has spent the last three years in Indy after being traded from the New England Patriots. He has had seen action as a starter due to Andrew Luck's injuries, but was thrust into the spotlight once again after Luck shocked the NFL world last year with his retirement. Brissett went 7-8 as a starter last season and threw for 2,942 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing 60.9 percent of his passes.
It's true that Brissett really didn't get a fair chance to lead this team last year, as the entire Colts roster was devastated by injuries. Just looking at the wideouts -- T.Y. Hilton, Parris Campbell, Devin Funchess, Chester Rogers and Daurice Fountain all missed significant time due to injury. You have to wonder what this team would have been capable of should everyone had maintained their health. There's also the possibility that Brissett won't have to wait the entire 2020 season before he gets another chance to start.
Last year with the Chargers, it appeared Rivers was quickly on his way out of the league. While he finished fourth in the NFL in passing yards with 4,615, he finished third in the NFL with 20 interceptions and had an 88.5 passer rating. His touchdown percentage of 3.9 was his lowest since becoming the Chargers starting quarterback in 2006, and his adjusted net yards gained per pass attempt (7.1) was his lowest since 2012. Put simply, he struggled all year, and it remains to be seen if a change of scenery is going to help him.
