One of the NFL’s top offseason storylines was the saga of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, allowing other teams to negotiate with him.
As it stands now, no one has approached Jackson. One of the popular teams mentioned regarding Jackson is the Washington Commanders. Some believed the Commanders would make a lucrative offer to Jackson, surpassing Deshaun Watson’s fully-guaranteed deal, in order for owner Dan Snyder to upset fellow owners on his way out.
Head coach Ron Rivera and general manager Martin Mayhew have said from the end of the season not to expect a big move at the quarterback position. Without saying it, the ownership situation is a major reason for that, but also Jackson’s price. In addition, Washington likes Sam Howell. That’s not Rivera or anyone saying Howell is better than Jackson, he obviously isn’t, but he has the talent and is cheap. And the Commanders wanted to build around him and sign a veteran to compete with and push him.
Enter Jacoby Brissett.
Since Brissett signed with Washington last month, the NFL world has praised the Commanders for the move. If Howell doesn’t win the job, Brissett can win games for Washington. Brissett, 30, is coming off an underrated season with the Cleveland Browns before Watson’s return.
Pro Football Focus recently named Brissett’s signing as one of the offseason’s most underrated moves:
Contract: One year, $8 million, $7.5 million fully guaranteed
Jimmy Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract with $45 million in total guarantees, and Brissett signed this one-year flier. Over the past two seasons on a similar amount of dropbacks, here is how the two stack up:
Brissett has bounced around a few teams, whereas Garoppolo has had the stability of the best offensive play caller and arguably the most talented offense in the NFL. Garoppolo very well could be the better player, especially considering the two were on the same team at one point, but we’re not sure he is an additional $26.25 million in fully guaranteed dollars better.
From Washington’s perspective, they had the 30th-ranked passing grade as a team in 2022, and while they may genuinely think Sam Howell could become a starting quarterback, Brissett offers a much higher floor and could get a lot out of their wide receiver trio of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel.
When you compare the two from last season, especially considering Garoppolo played for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, you see how fortunate Washington was to land Brissett, particularly at that cost.
