Jaquan Brisker established his early football reputation on high school fields in the Pittsburgh area. Now the former Penn State standout is returning home as a Steelers free agent signing.
Preparing for his fifth season in he NFL, Brisker found a fit with Pittsburgh. NFL Network reported it's a one-year, $5.5 million deal for the safety, who previously played with the Chicago Bears.
Brisker was a second-round draft selection (48th overall) for Chicago in 2022 after earning All-American status with the Nittany Lions. He ultimately entered 52 games in a Bears uniform, starting each of them while totaling 342 tackles, 21 pass breakups, seven sacks and four interceptions.
Several media outlets listed Brisker among the league's top remaining free agents entering Thursday. He will turn 27 years old in April. Prior to his Lackawanna career, Brisker attended Gateway (Monroeville, Pa.) High School.
Brisker reunites with former Penn State teammate and Pittsburgh starting cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in the Steelers' defensive backfield. Another former Nittany Lions cornerback, Daequan Hardy, is on the Steelers roster, along with tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Lauded within the Penn State program for his exceptional football IQ and ability to quickly disseminate crucial information across a defense, Brisker served as a Penn State captain. As a senior, he totaled 64 tackles (six for loss), five pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery en route to semifinalist status for the Jim Thorpe Award and Chuck Bednarik Award, along with first-team All-Big Ten recognition and second-team AP All-American honors.
Brisker spent two seasons at Lackawanna College (Scranton, Pa.), earning a JUCO All-American nod before transitioning to Penn State in 2019. During his three years at Penn State, Brisker entered 34 contests, starting the final 21 of those and totaling 152 tackles (seven for loss) with five interceptions.
Brisker considered entering the 2021 NFL Draft following a third-team All-Big Ten campaign but ultimately opted to take advantage of extra collegiate eligibility created by the NCAA's COVID response. Looking back on that decision in March, he felt validated by his 2021 development, pointing to his growth from a mental perspective and leadership standpoint.
"I showed them that I know the game of football and that I know what my teammates are doing on every play," Brisker said of the pre-draft evaluation process.
Within the 2022 Penn State draft class, he followed receiver Jahan Dotson (No. 16; Washington Commanders) and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie (No. 38; Atlanta Falcons) off the board. Dotson (Atlanta Falcons) and Ebiketie (Philadelphia Eagles) also signed with new teams this week via free agency.
It's been an eventful free agency period for former Penn State stars, headlined by a $100 million deal given to edge rusher Odafe Oweh in his move from the Los Angeles Chargers to Washington Commanders.