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Jacoby Brissett

Jacoby Brissett Suffers Thumb Injury

September 23rd, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

2:41pm: Brissett won’t need surgery, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN. “No tear, it’s fine,” a Patriots source told Russini via text (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

2:13pm: Brissett’s injury is a sprain – and not a particularly serious one – a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Still, he’s likely to miss a few weeks, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

1:29pm: Misfortune continues piling up at quarterback for the Patriots, who have now lost rookie Jacoby Brissett to an injury. Brissett suffered a torn right thumb ligament in the Patriots’ 27-0 win over the Texans on Thursday and will likely need surgery, Mike Petraglia of WEEI reports (via Twitter).

Jacoby Brissett

Brissett was only under center for the Patriots because Jimmy Garoppolo succumbed to a shoulder injury in Week 2. And Garoppolo was only starting because of Tom Brady‘s four-game Deflategate suspension. Nevertheless, the Patriots have survived the absence of their future Hall of Fame signal-caller with three straight wins to begin the season.

In their latest victory, Brissett didn’t do much through the air in his first career start, completing 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards, but the third-round pick from North Carolina State amassed 48 rushing yards on eight carries and torched the Texans on a 27-yard touchdown scamper. Between Thursday’s start and his Week 2 work in relief of Garoppolo, Brissett has begun his NFL career 17 of 28 for 195 yards as a passer.

The fact that New England has extra time to prepare for its Week 4 matchup against Buffalo could bode well for a potential Garoppolo return, but the team still might add a free agent signal-caller as insurance. The Patriots elected against that prior to Thursday, instead relying on wide receiver Julian Edelman – a former QB at Kent State – to back up Brissett. They did work out free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, though.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Pats, Sankey, Jets, Dolphins

June 16th, 2016 at 7:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots seem likely to look for another running back in the coming months, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, who wonders if New England could show interest in Titans back Bishop Sankey. Sankey isn’t expected to make Tennessee’s final roster, so he could likely be had for minimal compensation — or the Pats could simply wait until Sankey is waived and try to pluck him then. If and when he is cut loose by the Titans, Sankey shouldn’t be on the street for long, as Rand Getlin of NFL.com reports (Twitter link) that multiple clubs have already expressed interest in the former second-round pick.

Let’s take a look at the latest out of the AFC East…

  • Though most rookie contracts are now a breeze, clubs and agents can begin to negotiate a bit starting in the third round, a topic that Reiss has examined in the past. Writing in a separate column today, Reiss notes that the Patriots‘ Jacoby Brissett (who officially inked his rookie deal earlier today) is one of just two third-round picks who received 100% of their maximum allowable slotted compensation — the other, unsurprisingly, is also a quarterback, Cody Kessler of the Browns. The value of the QB position is such that even third-round picks can exert a little bit of leverage as they hammer out deals.
  • Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said earlier today that the Jets “don’t want” him, but that sentiment isn’t quite right, argues Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. New York does want Wilkerson, per Florio, but it simply wants to keep him for a single year at a cost of around $15MM, rather than sign to a long-term extension. With fellow defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams in tow, the Jets can continue to play hardball, hoping that their draft-and-develop strategy will allow them to find the next Wilkerson instead of paying for the current iteration.
  • Running back Kenyan Drake suffered an injury scare on Wednesday, but he’ll be ready for the start of training camp, Dolphins coach Adam Gase tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. On Wednesday evening, Drake formally signed his rookie contract. He’s expected to be Miami’s No. 2 back behind Jay Ajayi.
  • In other Dolphins news, veteran Dallas Thomas is starting ahead of first-round pick Laremy Tunsil at guard, at least thus far in practice, writes Jackson in a separate column. “You’ve got to earn your spot,” said Gase, who, it should be noted, did downplay the importance of who is starting at this point in the year. “I don’t think you’ve seen anyone get plugged in and anointed anything. Everybody’s battling. That’s what we want.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Patriots Sign Brissett, Wrap Up Draft Class

June 16th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots third round quarterbackJacoby Brissett signed his rookie contract this morning, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). Now that Brissett has inked his deal, the Patriots have now signed every player in their nine-man draft class.

The Pats, of course, lost their first-round pick as a result of the Deflategate scandal. The Patriots opted against trading back into the first-round but did do some jostling in the draft to expand the overall size of their draft class. Heading into draft night, the Patriots owned two consecutive second round picks at Nos. 60 and 61 overall with the latter pick coming from the Cardinals in the Chandler Jones trade. After taking Alabama defensive back Cyrus Jones at No. 60, the Pats parlayed No. 61 to the Saints in exchange for Nos. 78 and 112.

Brissett, like many third-round picks this year, took his time in putting pen to paper. The N.C. State product’s negotiations went on longer than most, however, and that may have been because of his additional leverage as a premium position player. Years ago, Russell Wilson‘s camp successfully negotiated for a higher base salary than the seven players taken immediately before him and Brissett’s reps may have pulled off a similar feat. The QB neglected to hire a traditional agent, instead relying on former NFL safety Abram Elam, whom Brissett is consulting as an adviser, and NFLPA director of salary cap and agent administration, Mark Levin.

Here is the complete rundown of the Patriots’ 2016 draft class:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Wolfe, Irvin, Brissett, Thomas

May 28th, 2016 at 6:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derek Wolfe‘s extension with the Broncos drew a number of reactions from around the league. From personnel men believing the fifth-year defensive end had to regret his choice in signing a four-year, $36.7MM deal before hitting free agency to agents seeing this contract representing the Super Bowl champions’ arrogance in believing they can convince players to accept below-market contracts.

As for Wolfe, who will now be the cornerstone of Denver’s defensive line after Malik Jackson left for a much more lucrative contract with the Jaguars, he’s fine with his decision.

“I did what I felt was right. I’m happy for Malik. He deserves it. I’m where I wanted to be. You can’t put a price on happiness,” Wolfe said, via Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I’m happy, and that’s all that really matters.”

Wolfe enjoyed by far his best season in 2015 despite missing four games due to a PED suspension. He registered eight sacks counting his 2.5 in the playoffs and graded out as a better performer than Jackson on Pro Football Focus for the first time since the duo began to see time together in 2013. Jackson, though, bypassed Broncos offers that topped out at around $11MM AAV and wound up becoming one of the league’s highest-paid defensive linemen with a six-year, $85.5MM accord.

Wolfe and Chris Harris represent the five-time reigning AFC West champions’ latest in-season extensions. Should Von Miller reach an agreement on a landmark extension with the Broncos by July 15, Brandon Marshall and Emmanuel Sanders loom as the next high-profile free agents-to-be for a team that’s had many such players reach this status the past few years.

Here’s more from around the AFC, starting with a connection between new Raiders that helped cement the Silver and Black’s opinion of their biggest rookie investment last month.

  • The Raiders consulted newly acquired Bruce Irvin before drafting West Virginia’s Karl Joseph in the first round last month, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com reports. A former first-round Mountaineer alum himself, Irvin had been a Raider for less than two months when the team reportedly asked for his opinion of Joseph, whom Irvin did not play with at West Virginia. Irvin went in the 2012 first round to the Seahawks months before Joseph began his West Virginia tenure, but the two had contact when Irvin would visit his alma mater. “I wouldn’t ask them to bring somebody in who wasn’t going to be able to help us,” Irvin said. “I know what type of player he is. I know the dedication he puts in.”
  • Jacoby Brissett may not have the ceiling Russell Wilson did despite both being third-round picks, but the newest Patriots quarterback investment may be following in the rookie version of Wilson’s footsteps when it comes to contract negotiations, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. Since third-round picks represent an interesting fulcrum in terms of draft pool money — first- and second-round picks receive the maximum base salaries, with prospects selected in Rounds 4-7 receiving the minimum, leaving third-rounders in a gray area — only 17 out of the 35 players taken there this year have signed their rookie deals. Brissett is angling for more money due likely to his position’s prestige, Volin notes. Wilson’s camp negotiated for a higher base salary than the seven players taken immediately before him four years ago, and this year, third-rounders have already begun to jockey for extra dollars. Despite being picked at No. 88, Packers linebacker Kyler Fackrell will earn $25K more than No. 87 overall choice Nick Vigil will from the Bengals in 2016, Volin reports, and although the players taken immediately before and after Brissett at No. 91 — C.J. Prosise (Seahawks) and Brandon Williams (Cardinals) — having already signed their deals, Brissett’s negotiation still won’t be a simple process.
  • Nearly dealt to the Broncos at last season’s trade deadline, Joe Thomas could again be on the block if the rebuilding Browns flounder as they’re expected to, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. Thomas said on multiple occasions this offseason he’s glad the Browns didn’t trade him, but it’s somewhat difficult to imagine the 31-year-old likely future Hall of Famer being content on a Browns team mostly bereft of talent as this year’s deadline approaches. A six-time All-Pro, including the past three years, with three years left on his contract, Thomas could still possibly fetch a Cleveland team obsessed with stockpiling picks a first-round selection from a tackle-needy franchise. The Seahawks still come to mind after ending up without a veteran blind-side blocker this offseason despite interest in multiple talents who signed elsewhere.

East Notes: Giants, J. Marshall, Patriots

May 22nd, 2016 at 12:58pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick swing around the league’s east divisions:

  • Jordan Raanan of NJ.com believes the Giants will bring in a veteran wide receiver at some point over the next couple of months, though there is no rush for the team to do so right now, as there is currently not much of a market for the remaining free agent wideouts. Raanan sees Anquan Boldin and Andre Johnson as potential fits, as both bring the size and physicality that would complement the speed of diminutive receivers Odell Beckham, Jr., Sterling Shepard, and Victor Cruz while giving Eli Manning another credible redzone threat.
  • 13 of the Jets’ crop of 14 undrafted free agents received signing bonuses, and three of those players–Jalin Marshall, Doug Middleton, and Lawrence Thomas–received bonuses higher than $10K, suggesting that they were “priority” free agents. Of that trio, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com sees Marshall, the former Ohio State wideout, as the player with the best chance to make the club, as he has the kick return ability to contribute right away while he develops his fledgling receiver skills. Gang Green, of course, struggled mightily in the return game last year.
  • Former NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett, one of the Patriots‘ three third-round draft choices this year, is the only New England draftee who has not yet signed his rookie contract, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com observes. Brissett is the league’s only draft pick to not hire a traditional sports agent, instead relying on former NFL safety Abram Elam, whom Brissett is consulting as an adviser, and NFLPA director of salary cap and agent administration, Mark Levin. Although rookie contracts under the new CBA are fairly straightforward as a result of the rookie wage scale–Brissett himself has said that the deal will get done, and he will get a four-year contract worth roughly $3MM with a $680K signing bonus–the Brissett situation serves as a reminder that there is still some back-and-forth between teams and rookies, especially third-round draftees. As Reiss points out, while nearly 75% of this year’s draft class has signed, only 15 of 35 third-round picks have inked their rookie deals. First- and second-round picks can receive a maximum of 25% allocation of a team’s rookie salary cap, but because the third round does not max out at 25%, there is often debate over what the correct percentage should be, and therefore more room for negotiation and the inclusion of incentives like workout bonuses.
  • In the same piece linked above, Reiss observes that Patriots’ fourth-round draft pick Malcolm Mitchell was one of 41 rookies invited to the NFL Players Association Premiere in Los Angeles from May 19-22, and he was the only one that did not attend the event. Mitchell reportedly felt traveling cross country before arriving back in town at midnight tonight or early tomorrow morning would have put him in a position where he wouldn’t be at his best for tomorrow’s start of voluntary organized team activities. Although the NFLPA might not be in love with Mitchell’s decision, New England will certainly appreciate Mitchell’s concern for his new club.

Patriots Reach Deals With Five Draftees

May 5th, 2016 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

1:32pm: Patriots third-round offensive lineman Joe Thuney has also signed his rookie deal, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. For Thuney, it’ll be a four-year deal worth $3.54MM with a signing bonus of $773K. The offensive lineman out of North Carolina State drew interest from clubs thanks to his versatility — he started all along the O-Line in college.

1:28pm: The Patriots aren’t wasting any time locking up their 2016 draft class, having already reached deals with four of their draftees from last weekend, including top pick Cyrus Jones, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.New England Patriots general helmet (Featured)

Fourth-round receiver Malcolm Mitchell, sixth-round offensive lineman Ted Karras, and seventh-round wideout Devin Lucien have also agreed to terms with New England, according to reports from ESPN’s Adam Caplan, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, and ESPN’s Mike Reiss, respectively (all Twitter links).

The rookie contracts for the four draft picks who have reached agreements with the Pats will look like this, per Over The Cap:

  • 2-60: Cyrus Jones, DB (Alabama): $4.007MM total value, $1.114MM signing bonus
  • 4-112: Malcolm Mitchell, WR (Georgia): $2.918MM total value, $578K signing bonus
  • 6-221: Ted Karras, OL (Illinois): $2.17MM total value, $100K signing bonus
  • 7-225: Devin Lucien, WR (Arizona State): $2.425MM total value, $85K signing bonus

With four draftees having agreed to terms, the Pats still have more than half of their nine-man draft class to lock up, including two third-round picks — quarterback Jacoby Brissett and defensive tackle Vincent Valentine.

Although contracts for third-rounders can sometimes be trickier to negotiate than deals for later-round picks, Brissett appears to be proceeding without any formal representation. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald notes (via Twitter) that the signal-caller is being advised by Abe Elam, but doesn’t officially have an agent.

Zach Links contributed to this post.