Jacoby Brissett learned some hard truths about the NFL at an early point in his career. The league is a business at the end of the day and it oftentimes puts players in uncomfortable situations.
Brissett was drafted by the New England Patriots in 2016, spending his first season behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. Brissett had a solid preseason outing that year and played phenomenally while stepping in for an injured Garoppolo in the beginning of the season.
He joined Devin and Jason McCourty on their podcast last week and talked about an array of topics, including an elaborate story of his desire to get drafted by any team in the NFL that wasn’t New England. He also dove into the trade in 2017 with the Indianapolis Colts that flipped him and Philip Dorsett out.
“It was after the last preseason game, and the bad thing was I balled (in that game). I was like, ‘I know I’m making the team. It’s going to be hard for them to cut me.’ I really felt like I played my best game at that point, and I was playing my best football at that time throughout training camp and stuff,” Brissett said, transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox. “I think Bill did some shady shit. I think they traded me right before practice and still made me go out there and practice. I just remember I was walking back into the facility from the field, and it just seemed like that was the first time the facility was — there was just no activity going on. It just seemed silent.”
“We always walk through the cafeteria first to get a smoothie, and (team nutritionist Ted Harper) called me into his office. Damn, I hope I didn’t get Ted fired. Ted called me into the office and was like, ‘You know about this?’ And I’m like, ‘What?’ How the hell am I supposed to know? I don’t have my phone on me. And I’m walking down the hall, and everybody’s just staring at me like i just committed a crime or something. I walk into the locker room, and (Dont’a) Hightower’s locker is right there. Hightower, you know his country ass. (He’s like), ‘Damn bruh.’ (laughs) I’m like Damn, Hightower, there ain’t no sense of confidence?’ And then I’m looking at my locker and Tom (Brady) is just sitting there with his head in his phone, and I’m like, ‘Damn, I hope that ain’t about me.'”
“It was just crazy, man. My body was just frozen. I went and talked to Bill, and I didn’t even hear a word he said. In my head, I was like, I don’t even know what traded means. Is that right now? And then as soon as I walked out the room, they were like, yeah, we’ve got to get you on a flight tonight because you might have to play in the game this Sunday. And I’m like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘Hell no, I don’t even want to play yet. I don’t know where I’m going.’ But I just remember you (Devin McCourty) texted me and Slate (Matthew Slater) texted me. He was like, ‘Man, listen. You’re about to walk into some crazy times, but you’re built for this, and it’s part of the NFL.’ Honestly, that was my wake-up to the NFL was being traded and then the next week, you’re out there in a game. It was like, ‘We don’t care how long you’ve been here. You’d better know how to play.'”
Brissett went on to have successful moments in Indianapolis and led the team to a 7-8 record last season. He’s 27-years-old and showed potential to blossom into a solid starter or top-tier backup in his career. The addition of Phillip Rivers this offseason puts Brissett into a backup role for this season.
His story is one of many eye-opening situations that proves the business side will typically outweigh the players side with decision-making processes.
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