Wesley Hitt/Getty Images Head Coach Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers on the sidelines against the Tennessee Titans on August 25, 2019.
There have been more than a few quarterbacks linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers in recent weeks, ranging from unrestricted free agents like Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston to prospective draft picks like Malik Willis and Sam Howell to trade candidates like San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
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But the latest quarterback to come up in conversation seems more likely to end up in Pittsburgh than any of the other candidates, in part because the news comes from longtime Steelers insider Gerry Dulac. In a March 11 article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dulac writes that Miami Dolphins backup Jacoby Brissett, “could be an option because of his past relationship with four current Steelers assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Matt Canada, according to sources.”
More specifically, “(t)he 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(s) coach Frisman Jackson–were on the Wolfpack staff,” notes Dulac.
Never mind the fact that new senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach Brian Flores was the Dolphins’ head coach last season and was on Bill Belichick’s staff when the New England Patriots selected Brissett in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft (No. 91 overall).
Jacoby Brissett’s Career Numbers
Last year, Brissett—6-foot-4 and 235 pounds—served as the backup to Tua Tagovailoa in Miami, but he made five starts when Tagovailoa was injured. All told the 29-year-old has appeared in 60 career games, including 30 starts for the Indianapolis Colts and another two for the Patriots, who traded him to Indy in September 2017.
Brissett’s numbers aren’t particularly impressive, as he has a career record of 14-23 and a career passer rating of 83.0, with a total of 36 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. By way of comparison, veteran Steelers backup Mason Rudolph has a career record of 5-4-1 and a higher completion percentage (61.5% as compared to Brissett’s 60.2%), as well as a comparable passer rating of 80.9.
But one expects Brissett would be a relatively inexpensive add, as he earned a $2.5 million salary on the one-year, $5 million contract he signed with the Dolphins last year, as per overthecap.com. Moreover, he would provide competition and depth at the quarterback position without disrupting the search for a long-term solution at the position.
Steelers Have Tendered QB Dwayne Haskins: Report
If the Steelers do add Brissett next week or shortly thereafter, he would become either the second or third quarterback under contract with the team in 2022, depending on the timing of the signing.
On Friday, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reported that “the Steelers are using an original-round tender on RFA QB Dwayne Haskins,” which provides for a salary of $2.54 million in 2022.
The #Steelers are using an original-round tender on RFA QB Dwayne Haskins, per source. He’ll earn $2.54M on the tender in 2022.
Haskins is a former Washington first-round pick, so if another team signs him and the Steelers do not match the offer, the team in question would owe the Steelers a first-round pick.
As for the aforementioned Mason Rudolph, he is scheduled to earn a salary of $3 million in 2022 and is scheduled to count $4,040,000 against the cap, this according to overthecap.com.
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