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Former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich interacting with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
New York Jets offensive coordinator Frank Reich could turn to a familiar face to fill the QB1 void at his new job.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini said Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett is a “name to watch” for the Jets.
“If you look at Frank Reich’s coaching career, he’s worked almost exclusively with taller, pocket-style passers. The exception was his last QB, Bryce Young (5-10) — and that was a disaster. (There were rumors that Reich didn’t want to draft Young and preferred C.J. Stroud.),” Cimini explained on social media.
“The name to watch is Jacoby Brissett (Arizona), Reich’s starter in 2019 (Colts). He’s under contract, so the Jets would have to trade for him,” Cimini added.
If you look at Frank Reich’s coaching career, he’s worked almost exclusively with taller, pocket-style passers. The exception was his last QB, Bryce Young (5-10) — and that was a disaster. (There were rumors that Reich didn’t want to draft Young and preferred C.J. Stroud.)
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Another Insider Makes Reich-Brissett Connection
“Among the first tasks for Reich: Figure out who the team’s quarterback will be. Justin Fields is not expected to return, while Tyrod Taylor is an unrestricted free agent. That leaves just Brady Cook, who went 0-4 as a starter with two touchdowns and seven interceptions,” NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY wrote.
“Since 2016, Reich started 10 different quarterbacks: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger, Nick Foles, Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Brian Hoyer, and Andrew Luck. Brissett, 33, is a potential trade target. He went 7-8 as a starter for Reich in 2019, throwing for 2,942 yards with 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has one year left on his contract with the Cardinals,” Hughes added.
Evaluating What Brissett Brings to the Table and His Contract Situation
Brissett, 33, won a Super Bowl ring as the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots.
He signed a two-year $12.5 million contract with $8 million fully guaranteed. There is an out in the deal where Arizona could cut Brissett and only take $1.75 million in dead cap this offseason. However, with his sterling resume as a QB in this league, the Cardinals would more likely trade Brissett than outright release him.
The Cardinals blew up their coaching staff this offseason. Which means the new coaches could be looking to bring in their own quarterback instead of being stuck with the leftovers in the fridge.
That could open the door for the Jets to strike a trade to reunite Brissett with Reich. The pair crossed over with each other for three seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
Across two of those three seasons, Brissett served as a primary backup passer. However, in his one full starting season, Brissett thrived in the Reich offense.
In 2019, Brissett completed 60.9% of his passes, threw for 2,942 passing yards, and had a 18 touchdown to six interception ratio.
Reich and Brissett Would Provide the Same Thing to Jets Fans
A Reich hire isn’t that exciting.
“People close to Reich believed he was mulling retirement,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed.
Then head coach Aaron Glenn convinced him to join the Jets’ coaching staff and “offered Reich a hefty salary for a coordinator. (The highest-paid coordinators in the NFL typically make in the range of $3-5 million per year.),” Rosenblatt wrote.
It’s unclear how high the ceiling will be with Reich at the controls, but the floor is guaranteed to be higher than it was with the previous OC Tanner Engstrand. Reich won’t have to learn on the job; he has done this his entire professional life.
A potential Brissett addition this offseason isn’t that exciting.
The veteran passer has never been named an All-Pro nor a Pro Bowler. However, he provides a much higher floor than the previous starting QBs for the Jets in 2025.
For the Jets, maybe it’s time to get away from the style and go for the substance. Instead of sex appeal, they should opt for effectiveness.
It won’t win headlines, but maybe the strategy will win more games in 2026. It’ll be hard to win fewer than 2025 (3-14) if we’re being honest.
Paul Esden Jr. covers the New York Jets for Heavy.com. A New York native, he co-hosts a morning show, “The Manchild Show with Boy Green Digital.” Before joining Heavy in 2021, Esden Jr. covered both national and New York sports for FanSided, Elite Sports NY, and The Score 1260. More about Paul Esden Jr.
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