AMESBURY, Mass. — On Thursday, as the doors to his locker opened, Jacoby Brissett was standing there when reporters hurried over to him, circled him, and pressed their phones, cameras, and microphones up against him.
Over the years, the veteran, 31, has witnessed similar situations occur. He was the quarterback that everyone went to in a few of them. He observed others, disappointed others, like the backup who was defeated in the competition.
Because Brissett wasn’t sure he would ever be No. 1 again, Thursday held special significance for him. He was selected as the starting quarterback by New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo over rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the third overall selection in this year’s draft.
Brissett remarked, “It’s nothing I take for granted.” “I’m thrilled. To get here has required a great deal of work, long days, and long nights.”
After a lengthy football career that saw him play for the Colts, Dolphins, Browns, Commanders, and other teams, he is back with the Patriots, having been taken in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. On September 8, at 1 p.m. ET on CBS, the 2024 club will open the regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. Unlike that year, when he was the No. 3 option behind Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo, he will take the opening snap.
Brissett is used to facing competition for his position. It’s what he’s had to do throughout his career. However, Brissett has managed to maintain his career with the support of consultant Abe Elam, mentor and NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, and getting therapy.
Six of the 15 quarterbacks chosen in the 2016 NFL Draft, including first-round pick Jared Goff, second-round pick Carson Wentz, and fourth-round pick Dak Prescott, are still playing in the NFL. Brissett is one of those players.
Two of Brissett’s greatest backers have been quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt of the Patriots. In 2022, while Brissett was coaching in Cleveland, he started 11 games in lieu of the suspended Deshaun Watson at quarterback. Brissett finished 4-7 with 2,608 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions.
They knew they would be developing a highly recruited rookie behind him in Maye, so they targeted Brissett as their top choice during their first season in New England. The team signed Brissett to a one-year, $8 million contract on the opening day of free agency.
Van Pelt declared, “He’s a stud, no question about it.” “The guy he is, the leader he is, and the player he is is the reason he is here. He is quite proficient at this offense.”
Brissett and PARCELLS, the former Patriots coach who led the team from 1993 to 1996, had been friends since high school.
“After every game I’ve played in my career, Parcells has called me,” he stated. “The man is among the greatest football coaches in history and a Hall of Famer. I tell folks jokes like, ‘That’s legit like my granddad.'”
The relationship started when Parcells, who resides in Florida, happened to stop by Dwyer High School’s football practice in Palm Beach Gardens. Brissett, who was 15 years old at the time, captured his heart and helped Dwyer win its first state title in his junior year.
Throughout his coaching career, which includes two Super Bowl titles with the New York Giants, Parcells, a maestro of player motivation, gave Brissett counsel that is still relevant today.
“Jacoby, you’ll never be someone’s first choice, Parcells usually says. You’ll never be the ideal man for someone. Someone will always be preferred above you by the organization or the supporters. Thus, you just must remain there whenever you have the opportunity,” Brissett remarked.
That seems to be what I’ve done all throughout my journey and profession. I’ve been able to remain inside ever since.”
CURRENTLY PART OF HIS FIFTH TEAM, Brissett remarked that his professional trajectory embodies the advice Parcells has always given him: “That guy was never you.” There was never going to be a first-round pick treatment for him.
While that may seem apparent for a quarterback selected late in the third round by a franchise that already had Brady and Garoppolo, it really got to Brissett in 2017 when he was moved to the Colts in exchange for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.
Brady and Garoppolo informed him they had no idea how to handle it because they had never been traded before when he asked. He thought he was alone on an island.
Given that Indianapolis’ star quarterback, Andrew Luck, was about to embark on his sixth NFL season and was recovering from offseason surgery on his right throwing shoulder, Brissett assumed his time in Indianapolis would be brief. Brissett was first considered a depth option by the Colts, who had been lucky to go from one franchise legend to another in Peyton Manning and then Luck.
Unexpectedly, Brissett remained there for a whole four seasons.
