PITTSBURGH — The Steelers are discussing the possibility of adding a quarterback when free agency begins next week, and among the considerations is a player who has not been mentioned among the myriad of names being tossed around.
Miami Dolphins backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who has started 37 games in the NFL, could be an option because of his past relationship with four current Steelers assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Matt Canada, according to sources.
Brissett, 29, is an unrestricted free agent who started 30 games during his four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts from 2017 to 2020. He spent last season serving as a backup to Tua Tagovailoa with the Dolphins, but ended up starting five games when Tagovailoa was injured.
The Steelers' possible interest in Brissett can be traced to his college days at North Carolina State when Canada was his offensive coordinator and two other Steelers assistants — running backs coach Eddie Faulkner and wide receiver coach Frisman Jackson — were on the Wolfpack staff.
Also, new senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores was the Dolphins head coach last season and was with the New England Patriots when they drafted Brissett on the third round in 2016.
Brissett (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) is a strong-armed quarterback who fits the mold of a mobile quarterback the Steelers appear to desire. He ran 119 times for 488 yards and eight touchdowns in the 30 games he started for the Colts and 19 times for 70 yards with the Dolphins. When he was backing up Andrew Luck, he was often brought into the game in short-yardage situations and occasionally to throw Hail Mary desperation attempts.
If the Steelers pursued Brissett, it is likely he would be brought in to challenge Mason Rudolph and even Dwayne Haskins to be the starter. He wouldn't cost the Steelers a lot of money, either. The Dolphins gave him a one-year, $5 million contract last season.
The Colts initially traded for Brissett in 2017 after he started two games as a rookie for the Patriots when Tom Brady was serving a four-game suspension for his role in Deflategate. He ended up starting 15 games while Luck was struggling to return from shoulder surgery.
When Luck abruptly retired before the start of the 2019 regular season, the Colts gave Brissett a two-year extension and made him the starter again. But it was not a successful stint with the Colts. He was 11-19 in two years as a starter, but threw 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions.
Brissett became a backup again in 2020 when the Colts signed Philip Rivers, but left after the season and signed with the Dolphins. He lost his first three starts during a seven-game losing streak when Tagovailoa was injured, but won his next two that started Miami on its seven-game winning streak.
One way or another, the Steelers are expected to add a quarterback in free agency. It just a matter of which one and for what role. Brissett could be among the options.
More JuJu?
The Steelers are waiting to see what receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster decides to do in free agency, but it would be in their best interest to re-sign him — and for several reasons.
Smith-Schuster has indicated to the Steelers he wants to test the free-agent market to see if he can get a multi-year contract that will average more than the $8 million he received on a one-year deal from the Steelers in 2021. That contract didn't materialize last offseason because of the reluctance of teams to spend big money during a flattened, pandemic-induced salary cap.
But, with the salary cap set at $208.2 million in 2022, Smith-Schuster is hoping that will change when free agency begins Wednesday. However, after an injury shortened season in 2021, that is not likely, which could bring the Steelers back into play.
Losing Smith-Shuster, their toughest, most dependable receiver, would leave the wide-receiver room in the hands of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool (no pun intended). It is likely the Steelers will re-sign Ray Ray McCloud, who is an unrestricted free agent, but they do not intend to bring back James Washington.
Not only would that force the Steelers to take a wide receiver higher than they expected in the draft, but, more important, it would strip the offense of the one player who has a chance to fill a void that grows bigger each year.
With the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers do not have a player on offense who is considered a team leader. Those types of players slowly began to disappear with the departures of Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro (injury) and Alejandro Villanueva. Right now, Smith-Schuster is the only offensive player capable of stepping into that type of role, both with his infectious attitude and willingness to play through injury.
While that might appear to be an ancillary reason to keep him, it is nonetheless an important one.
