It's rare that the backup quarterback position constitutes a major preseason storyline, but that's what has transpired thus far with the Green Bay Packers.
There's no question Jordan Love is the Packers' long-term starter--after all, they paid him $220 million less than a month ago. But their options if Love ever goes down leave much to be desired.
This preseason, second-year backup Sean Clifford and rookie Michael Pratt have duked it out for the second-string role, and both have underwhelmed. Given that neither has ever thrown a pass in the regular season, it's fair to wonder if the Packers might be looking elsewhere.
If the Packers do decide to pursue a trade, there is a natural fit on the roster of the New England Patriots--and one insider believes that player could be on the move.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell named Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Monday as a trade candidate who could be moved before this season's deadline. If that is the case, Brissett is a natural fit with Green Bay, given his experience and leadership capability.
"Brissett had to figure this might be coming when he rejoined the Patriots in March," Barnwell said. "While they hadn't yet chosen a quarterback with the No. 3 pick, it was hardly a surprise when they drafted (Drake) Maye the next month. That move started the clock on Brissett's time as the starter in New England."
Brissett, 31, is entering his ninth season in the league, and has played for five different teams. In 79 career games, including 48 starts, he owns a 61.3% completion percentage, 51 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He won a Super Bowl ring as a backup with the Patriots in 2016.
Though he's never been any team's true first option as a starter, Brissett has proven himself more than capable of stabilizing a team if the starter gets hurt. That is precisely what the Packers need in the event Love goes down, and precisely what their current backups lack.
Even if Brissett begins Week 1 in New England, he could very well be supplanted by the rookie Maye by the Week 9 trade deadline. Maye is just 21, so the Patriots have no motivation to rush him.
There's a chance the Packers' urgency to trade for a backup could be either increased or diminished depending on how the coming weeks play out. But if their confidence remains predictably low in Clifford and Pratt, a trade for Brissett makes a lot of sense.
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