New England Patriots helmet shown on bench.FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – AUGUST 19: A view of New England Patriots helmets on the bench during the preseason game between the New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on August 19, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The New England Patriots are being linked to an old friend and a former Super Bowl MVP as free agency draws closer.

Speaking on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the names of Joe Flacco and Jacoby Brissett come to his mind as potential targets for the Patriots. The NFL insider said he “can see” either guy, both pending free agents, landing in Foxborough.

Flacco joined the Browns late last season and put together an improbable Comeback Player of the Year Award-winning season. Flacco won four of five starts and had 13 touchdowns against eight interceptions, leading Cleveland to the postseason.

Brissett was drafted in the third round (91st overall) by the Patriots back in 2016. He won a Super Bowl ring as a third-stringer behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, before getting traded to the Indianapolis Colts in the 2017 offseason.

Though Brissett has been a backup for most of his career, he’s been a team’s main starting QB in three different seasons, with Indy in 2017 and 2019 and with the Cleveland Browns in 2022 during Deshaun Watson’s suspension.


New England is widely expected to trade or cut Mac Jones, who lost his starting job late in the year to backup Bailey Zappe. With the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft, the Pats will likely draft whichever QB remains between USC’s Caleb Williams, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.