Breer: Why Jacoby Brissett was a ‘perfect’ hire for Pats originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
Jacoby Brissett may be the New England Patriots’ Week 1 starting quarterback in 2024, but his most important role on the team will be as a mentor to the potential next face of the franchise.
The Patriots selected North Carolina QB Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 draft. Brissett, an eight-year NFL veteran, will take the rookie under his wing. He’ll have to do that while competing with Maye in training camp for the starting job.
Coach Jerod Mayo made that clear that the best of New England’s four QBs will start in the season opener against Cincinnati. Asked Thursday how he will make sure the situation in the QB room is “not awkward,” Brissett shared a thoughtful response.
“I’ll just be myself,” he replied. “I don’t have the ego in this to think ‘I should do this’. Whatever happens for me, will happen for me. Whatever happens to the next person will happen to the next person. It’s about being ready whenever your time comes. …
“I think the good thing about our room is that, honestly, everyone wants to be the guy. Everyone is competing to be the guy. That’s what you want,” he added. “If none of us wanted to play, our room would be a mess. Like we’re in bad hands in this organization.”
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Brissett’s response indicates that while he hopes to win the starting role, he’s invested in setting Maye up for success. For Albert Breer of the MMQB, this shows why Brissett was the “perfect” off-season signing for New England.
“That’s exactly why he was the perfect hire for them,” Breer said Thursday. Arbella Early Edition, as shown in the video above. “He knows how to deal with these situations. He’s been through much more embarrassing 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 game 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 who didn’t have glowing things to say about him.
“Like, Josh McCown was the guy who made an extra $30 million over his career just for being a good guy, just for being the kind of guy you want with your young quarterbacks. That’s who Jacoby Brissett is. You see how he answered that question perfectly. This illustrated exactly why he was the right guy for them to sign.
Brissett, 31, began his NFL career with the Patriots in 2016 as a third offensive lineman behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo. The third-round draft pick ended up starting two games as a rookie amid Brady’s Deflategate suspension and an injury to Garoppolo.
Prior to the 2017 season, the Patriots traded Brissett to the Indianapolis Colts for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Brissett spent four seasons in Indy before stints with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and, most recently, the Washington Commanders.
New England bringing Brissett back into the mix serves two purposes. On the one hand, he is an ideal resource for Maye, who has already started texting Brissett for help with the Pats offense. Secondly, if Maye isn’t ready, Brissett is a more than capable bridge QB who could prevent the team from putting their young signal-caller into action.
The post-Bill Belichick regime is doing everything it can to set up its young QB for success. Coming off two consecutive dysfunctional seasons, this should bring a sigh of relief to Pats fans.
