It was not a day for wild swings in New England, but it was a day in which the Patriots methodically ticked off major items on the team’s very long off-season checklist. And they topped it off with one of the more interesting, if not unexpected, signings of the day–according to a report NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Patriots are bringing back veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

It is a move that, while not earth-shattering, has very big implications for what might come next in New England.

Brissett, of course, began his career as a backup to Tom Brady and Jimmy Garoppolo in New England back in 2016, after he was a third-round pick from North Carolina State. Injuries to both thrust Brissett into a staring role and he logged three appearances and two starts for the Patriots. He was traded to Indianapolis the following summer, but now Brissett, eight years later, is back in New England.

As Rapoport reported via Twitter/X, “Source: “The #Patriots have agreed to terms with QB Jacoby Brissett, who gets $8M on a 1-year deal.”

Patriots Need Jacoby Brissett’s Experience

Brissett had a good relationship during his time in Cleveland, back in 2022, with offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who is now in the same job with the Patriots. His experience and ability to step in as a starter makes him a valued commodity around the league.

But make no mistake, the Patriots are not entering the 2024 season with the intention of Brissett being the starter. They want him to mentor and be an insurance policy for whatever young quarterback they draft late next month.

Signing Brissett almost certainly means the Patriots will use a high draft pick to find a future quarterback to develop.

That could mean using the No. 3 pick on Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye. That could also mean trading down, collecting more picks and taking a second-tier signal-caller like J.J. McCarthy, Michael Penix or Bo Nix. The Patriots need help at every position on the roster offensively, so trading down makes some sense.

Having Brissett start games for the Patriots would not be ideal. In eight NFL seasons, Brissett has started only 48 games, Since his brief tenure in New England, he has had two seasons, in Indianapolis, in which he came in as the starter, and one (in Cleveland in 2022) in which he started the bulk of the games because of injury.

Busy Day in New England

It’s fitting that the Patriots returned one of their former players on Monday, because that has been the bulk of the work the team has done to this point.

Besides landing Brissett, the Patriots also brought in third-down running back Antonio Gibson, who was also with the Commanders last year. He received a deal worth $11 million over three years. Other than that, the bulk of the Patriots work has been keeping their own free-agents in place.

Three key offensive players were all re-signed: starting tackle Michael Onwenu (on a three-year, $57 million deal); starting receiver Kendrick Bourne (three years, $19 million) and tight end Hunter Henry (three years, $27 million).

Obviously, the Patriots are not done with making changes, and the hope remains that a splashy move for a star playmaker is forthcoming. But the Brissett move shows, the Patriots’ splash moves will have to wait.