Drake Maye is already texting Jacoby Brissett for help with the Pats offense originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
FOXBORO – In the end, the path was relatively simple.
Reserve a high-quality first-round pick for a young quarterback. Sign a veteran passer to ensure the team doesn’t need to put the young quarterback in the starting lineup before he’s ready. Let them compete. See what happens.
It turns out that when the new league year began in March, when free agency opened, there was an ideal veteran quarterback to fill that need.
Jacoby Brissett has been with the Patriots before, serving as the third-string quarterback in 2016 behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. He played in Alex Van Pelt’s offense as a member of the Browns in 2021. He had been a backup. He was widely regarded in league circles as one of the best veteran teammates a player could have. And he was available.
The Patriots promptly signed him to a one-year, $8 million contract, and he now understands that part of his job will be to help guide New England’s third overall pick in last month’s draft, quarterback Drake Maye.
“He’s got a lot of talent,” Brissett told reporters Thursday. “He can make all the shots. He wants to learn football. He wants to improve. That’s what you want, not just from your quarterback, but from anyone on the team.
“I’m excited to work with him. I remember – he’s 21, I was 22, 23 – but I remember I was following Tom [Brady] around… [Maye] He’s already sending me messages about parts. ‘How do I think about this?’ Cadence. Stuff like that. All the little nuances of being in this position at this level.”
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Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said shortly after the draft that Brissett understood what his job entailed. Helping a first-year player would probably be part of his responsibilities.
“Look, Jacoby understands, he’s a mentor,” Mayo explained. “He is very smart, has great leadership skills and I hope Drake can learn something from him too. I would say we’re going to compete all spring, we’re going to compete during training camp and the best player will start. “
Brissett acknowledged that he’s looking forward to competing alongside Maye, as well as Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III – “I think the good thing about our class is that, honestly, everyone wants to be the guy,” Brissett said – but he also wants to make sure you are helping to foster an environment where there is no animosity between competitors.
“When I was first here, you realized that everyone is your mentor, who is older than you in this league or has more experience, and I hope to be that more than just Drake,” Brissett said. “First, I’m a teammate. I can be a good companion not only for him, but for everyone on this team…
“I don’t have any ego in this to think, ‘I should do this.’ Whatever happens for me, will happen for me. Whatever will happen to the next person, will happen to the next person. It’s a matter of being ready whenever your time comes.
“What got me into that mindset was my first year here. I’m the third-string quarterback my rookie year. I don’t take training camp reps or OTAs with the first team. And in Week 2, I’m in a game against the Dolphins. You never know when your opportunity will come.
“It’s just a matter of being ready. Everything that will happen to me, will happen to me.”
