Prior to becoming a spot-starter for the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Jacoby Brissett was still trying to build on the promise he showed with the New England Patriots. However, the Patriots were already secure enough under center with Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, which led to them flipping Brissett to the Colts for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.

While football may pride itself on being the ultimate team sport, the NFL is still a business at the end of the day, and it is always in the best interest of every party to keep that in mind. Unfortunately, even Brissett admitted during an appearance on Devin and Jason McCourty podcast that he was taken back by the news of his trade, via NESN’s Zack Cox:

“It was after the last preseason game, and the bad thing was I balled (in that game). I was like, ‘I know I’m making the team. It’s going to be hard for them to cut me.’ I really felt like I played my best game at that point, and I was playing my best football at that time throughout training camp and stuff,” Brissett said, transcribed by NESN’s Zack Cox. “I think Bill did some shady shit. I think they traded me right before practice and still made me go out there and practice. I just remember I was walking back into the facility from the field, and it just seemed like that was the first time the facility was — there was just no activity going on. It just seemed silent.”

Brissett added that it ultimately served as quite the learning experience for him.

“It was just crazy, man. My body was just frozen. I went and talked to Bill, and I didn’t even hear a word he said. In my head, I was like, I don’t even know what traded means. Is that right now? And then as soon as I walked out the room, they were like, yeah, we’ve got to get you on a flight tonight because you might have to play in the game this Sunday. And I’m like, ‘What?’ I was like, ‘Hell no, I don’t even want to play yet. I don’t know where I’m going.’ But I just remember you (Devin McCourty) texted me and Slate (Matthew Slater) texted me. He was like, ‘Man, listen. You’re about to walk into some crazy times, but you’re built for this, and it’s part of the NFL.’ Honestly, that was my wake-up to the NFL was being traded and then the next week, you’re out there in a game. It was like, ‘We don’t care how long you’ve been here. You’d better know how to play.'”

One of the more interesting aspects of Brissett's story was the fact that he did not have any desire to come to New England at all during the 2016 NFL Draft. It appears that there was good reason for his initial suspicions considering head coach Bill Belichick's track record when it comes to parting ways with talented players.

Fortunately, the change-of-scenery has worked out for both Brissett and the Colts since he had the opportunity to serve as a stabilizing factor under center on multiple occasions. He filled in for quarterback Andrew Luck once again following his unexpected retirement and complied a 7-8 record as the starter during the 2019 campaign.

Brissett is now slated to serve as the backup for quarterback Philip Rivers in the 2020 NFL season, and he appears to be relishing in the newfound peace of mind. Regardless, it is safe to say that he will not forget the lesson he learned in New England any time soon.