While there wasn’t much news to report for most of Monday when it came to the Patriots, a lot of the work behind the scenes came to light later in the evening when news started to emerge of guys they eventually finalized deals with.
One of those first key dominoes that fell was the addition of veteran free agent QB Jacoby Brissett, who reunited with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt here in New England.
Brissett agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth a reported $8 million, and provides a much-needed veteran presence in the locker room. He also now at least gives the Patriots a viable name to pitch to potential free agents in terms of who they’ll possibly have under center this season.
Obviously, the plan will hopefully be to see them draft a quarterback next month, but Brissett’s addition gives them a tangible option, rather than the club trying to lure skill players based on Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke and essentially “a player to be named later.”
For guys who thrive on incentives and the opportunity to possibly earn additional money in the postseason, that likely wouldn’t be enough of a draw, as many of those names tend to look for more competitive situations.
Meanwhile, Brissett’s a well-respected player, and he’s put together a solid career after the Patriots selected him in the third round back in 2016 with the 91st overall selection. He spent last season with the Commanders and appeared in two games late in the season, finishing 18-of-23 for 224 yards and three touchdowns, including a 10-of-13 100-yard 1-touchdown performance on the road against the Jets on Christmas Eve.
Clearly, the Patriots were transparent in their plans with Brissett moving forward, which likely explains why he’s only here for one season.
Still, it’s an opportunity to take the lead and be the guy who will set the example for whoever they ultimately select next month.
More importantly, it at least puts the Patriots in a slightly better position to attract talent, which made it an important move that was nice to see come to fruition on Monday.
(Editor’s Note: The above appeared in a recent daily Patriots notebook column.)
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
