Breer: Why Jacoby Brissett was the ‘perfect’ signing for the Pats originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Jacoby Brissett may be the New England Patriots’ Week 1 starting quarterback in 2024, but his biggest role on the team will be mentoring the potential next face of the franchise.
The Patriots selected North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft. Brissett, an eight-year NFL veteran, will be counted on to take the rookie under his wing. He’ll have to do it while competing with Maye in training camp for the starting job.
Coach Jerod Mayo made it clear that the best of New England’s four quarterbacks will start the season opener against Cincinnati. When asked Thursday how he will make the situation in the QB room “not awkward,” Brissett shared a thoughtful response.
“I’ll just be myself,” he responded. “I don’t have any ego in this to say ‘I should do this.’ Whatever is for me, will happen to me. Whatever happens to the next person, will happen to the next person. It’s about being prepared when the time comes. …
“I think the good thing about our room is that, honestly, everyone wants to be the man. Everyone is competing to be the man. That’s what you want,” he added. “If none of us wanted to play, then our room would be a mess. Like we’re in the wrong hands in this organization.”
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Brissett’s response indicates that while he hopes to win the starting job, he is fully committed to setting up Maye for success. To MMQB’s Albert Breer, it shows why Brissett was the “perfect” offseason signing for New England.
“Exactly why he was the perfect signing for them,” Breer said Thursday. Arbella early edition, as shown in the video above. “He knows how to handle these situations. He’s been in much more uncomfortable situations than this.
“He was the Colts’ quarterback when Andrew Luck suddenly retired in August of that year, and then he was in a much more awkward situation with Deshaun Watson. And I was in the locker room for his last start with the Browns in 2022. when Deshaun was coming back from suspension and you couldn’t find a player, a coach, an executive in that organization that didn’t have positive things to say about him.
“Josh McCown was the guy who made an extra $30 million over the course of his career just by being a good guy, just by being the kind of guy you wanted around your young quarterbacks. That’s Jacoby Brissett. “You see how answered that question perfectly. He illustrated exactly why he was the right person to sign.”
Brissett, 31, began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2016 as a third-string player behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. The third-round pick ended up starting two games as a rookie amid Brady’s Deflategate suspension and an injury to Garoppolo.
Before the 2017 season, the Patriots traded Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Brissett spent four seasons in Indy before spending time with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and, most recently, the Washington Commanders.
New England adding Brissett back into the mix serves two purposes. On the one hand, it is an ideal resource for Maye, who has already started texting Brissett to help with the Pats offense. Second, if Maye isn’t ready, Brissett is a more than capable bridge quarterback who can keep the team from rushing to get his young signal-caller into action.
The post-Bill Belichick regime is doing everything it can to set up its young quarterback for success. After two straight dysfunctional seasons, that should bring a sigh of relief to Pats fans.
