Colts hand Jacoby Brissett two-year, $30M contract

Just two weeks ago, the Colts were fully invested in Andrew Luck as their franchise quarterback. Now, they're investing in a future without him.

Indianapolis agreed to terms with recently anointed starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett on a two-year contract worth $30 million, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source. Brissett will earn $20 million guaranteed at signing, Rapoport added. The team announced the extension Tuesday morning.

Brissett was entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal, set to earn $2 million in 2019. With the new deal, Brissett is under contact through the 2020 season.

News of Brissett's deal came less than three hours after the Colts inked journeyman signal-caller (and fellow Tom Brady understudy) Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12 million contract.

The Colts moved quickly to secure the future of their quarterback room without Luck, who announced his shocking retirement on Aug. 24. During Luck's impromptu retirement ceremony, both the quarterback and Colts brass expressed confidence that Brissett could be Indy's starting QB going forward.

Luck said of Brissett that evening, "I'm excited for the future of the Colts in large part because of Jacoby and also all the other men in that locker room." The Colts, it appears, are equally excited.

Brissett's taken a unconventional route to his second NFL contract. Drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2016 draft, Brissett started two games his rookie year in place of Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. Ahead of the 2017 season, Indianapolis acquired him in a trade to bolster its QB room as Luck was dealing with what would be a season-ending shoulder injury. Brissett took over the starting job after Week 1 from Scott Tolzien and started 15 games that season, completing 58.8 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven picks.

When Luck returned for his Comeback Player of the Year campaign in 2018, Brissett was his backup. This year, he's Luck's successor.

By extending Brissett, Indianapolis has stabilized a QB position that could have been in flux had it waited until after this year to assess Brissett's status with the team. The Colts also avoid dealing with franchise-tag drama in 2020 by resolving Brissett's contract situation ahead of the 2019 campaign.

While Brissett doesn't cash in as the likes of Russell Wilson ($35M AAV) and Carson Wentz ($32M) did this offseason, the Colts signal-caller at least received a second contract, and a lucrative one at that. Though he ranks 19th among quarterbacks in average annual value in 2019 at $15 million per, Brissett is offered the opportunity with this contract to ensure himself the starting role in Indy for years to come and eventually cash in on a $30M-plus-per-year deal in the near future.

His first test comes in six days when hisColts take on the Los Angeles Chargers.