FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed QB Jacoby Brissett as an unrestricted free agent from the Washington Commanders, re-signed LB Anfernee Jennings, G Nick Leverett as a free agent and DT Armon Watts as an unrestricted free agent from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Terms of the contracts were not announced.
Brissett, 31, was originally drafted by New England in the third-round (91st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State. He played in three games with two starts as a rookie and completed 34-of-55 passes for 400 yards. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder, was traded by New England to the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 2, 2017 for WR Phillip Dorsett.
Brissett is a veteran of eight NFL seasons with New England (2016), Indianapolis (2017-20), Miami (2021), Cleveland (2022) and Washington (2023). Overall, he has played in 79 regular season games with 48 starts and has completed 981-of-1,600 passes for 10,574 yards with 51 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. Last season with Washington, Brissett played in three games and completed 18-of-23 pass attempts for 224 yards with three touchdown passes.
Jennings, 26, is a veteran of four NFL seasons with New England after originally joining the team as a third-round draft pick (87th overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder, has played in 45 games with 21 starts and has 113 total tackles, 3 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. Last season, Jennings played in 15 games with 14 starts and finished with 66 total tackles, 1½ sacks and 1 fumble recovery.
Leverett, 26, originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with Tampa Bay out of Rice in 2020. The 6-foot-4, 310-pounder, spent the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad in 2020. After seeing action in just two games in 2021, Leverett played in 11 games with 10 starts at left guard in 2022. Overall, he has played in 16 games with 10 starts. Last season, Leverett played in three games in a reserve role.
Watts, 27, is a veteran of five NFL seasons with Minnesota (2019-21), Chicago (2022) and Pittsburgh (2023). The 6-foot-5, 307-pounder, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick (190th overall) by Minnesota out of Arkansas in the 2019 NFL Draft. He has played in 72 games with 22 starts and has registered 140 total tackles, 8½ sacks, 1 pass defensed and 3 forced fumbles. Watts was claimed off waivers by Chicago after being released by Minnesota at the end of training camp in 2022 and signed with Pittsburgh last year as an unrestricted free agent. Last season in Pittsburgh, Watts played in 15 games and finished with 15 total tackles and half a sack.
