The Other Dolphins QB Question

The Miami Dolphins likely will have to find themselves a second quarterback in the offseason

There was a second significant NFL trade involving a big-name quarterback this week, and this one might have an indirect impact on the Miami Dolphins.

Miami had a great situation last season with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick and rookie first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa, but it's more than likely the Dolphins will have to find someone to replace Fitzpatrick as he seeks a starting opportunity somewhere else.

Fitzpatrick's departure is almost a given based on his numerous statements, including one during Super Bowl week, about his desire to not just be on a roster but play as well as head coach Brian Flores' comments after the 2020 regular season that every player would be subject to evaluation.

RELATED: Fitzpatrick Addresses His Future

The Dolphins have had two years with Fitzpatrick, so they should know by now what Harvard alum — yes, he went to Harvard — can and can't do.

While Fitzpatrick has his detractors, he's actually been a productive quarterback the past three seasons (his surge started with Tampa Bay in 2018) and will get a lot of consideration from those teams seeking a bridge quarterback.

One of those teams happens to be the Philadelphia Eagles, who traded 2016 second overall pick Carson Wentz to the Colts on Thursday in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick and a conditional 2022 second-round pick that could become a first-round selection based on Wentz's playing time next season.

That's what Fitzpatrick was for the Dolphins in 2020, the bridge quarterback until the Dolphins were ready to make the switch to Tagovailoa.

So, barring a pretty significant surprise, Fitzpatrick will be moving on from the Dolphins after two seasons and the Dolphins will need a backup for Tagovailoa because the other quarterbacks currently on the roster are Reid Sinnett and exclusive-rights free agent Jake Rudock.

While Sports Illustrated Senior NFL Reporter Albert Breer suggested the Dolphins should evaluate the non-Trevor Lawrence quarterbacks and take one with the third overall selection if they deem him an upgrade, we're thinking the likely scenario is the Dolphins going out and finding a veteran to back up Tagovailoa.

And this is where the Eagles-Colts trade could impact the Dolphins. And  we're talking specifically about Jacoby Brissett.

The former Patriots third-round pick first was brought to Indianapolis in September 2017 while Andrew Luck was out with a shoulder injury and started all year in 2019 after Luck abruptly retired.

But he didn't impress enough to keep the Colts from signing veteran Philip Rivers as a free agent last offseason.

Now Brissett is an unrestricted free agent and might not be eager to re-sign with the Colts after they acquired Wentz to be their starter.

In fact, Brissett is a lot less likely than Fitzpatrick to find a team that will give him the opportunity to start and the Dolphins might represent a good landing spot for him as a backup.

Brissett played at North Carolina State, but was born in West Palm Beach and starred at Dwyer High in Palm Beach Gardens.

Now, as with every free agent decision, finances will be a factor and it has to be noted that Brissett's expiring contract had an average value of $28 million a year, according to overthecap.com.

It's safe to say the Dolphins won't pay anywhere near that amount for a backup, nor should Brissett expect to get that kind of deal from any team.

Among quarterbacks scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, Brissett is part of a group that could be appealing to the Dolphins based on their experience and their credentials — another factor is a quarterback understanding he would be coming in as a backup.

Besides Brissett, there's former Chargers starter Tyrod Taylor ($5.5 million yearly average on his expiring contract), longtime Bengals starter Andy Dalton ($3 million) and former Redskins starter Robert Griffin III ($2 million).