Hello, Drake Maye? Jacoby Brissett Among QBs Favored To Be Benched First

The New England Patriots addressed their preseason’s biggest question by naming Jacoby Brissett the team’s starting quarterback over rookie Drake Maye, but there’s plenty of time for that to change with 18 weeks of regular season football incoming.

Brissett has 48 starts worth of experience throughout the 31-year-old’s eight-year NFL career, including two during his rookie season with the Patriots in 2016. He joined a four-man quarterback crew, which became a trio after Bailey Zappe was released and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, and proceeded to earn the starter quarterback role although Maye surged as the most impressive of New England quarterbacks throughout training camp and the preseason. But… that role might not be long-lasting to Brissett, at least not according to the oddsmakers.

Here are the top 10 quarterbacks, in order, projected to first be seated on the bench, per Sports Betting’s odds:

— Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (+300)
— Jacoby Brissett, New England Patriots (+350)
— Gardner Minshew, Las Vegas Raiders (+400)
— Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (+900)
— Daniel Jones, New York Giants (+1000)
— Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (+1000)
— Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (+1200)
— Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (+1200)
— Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+1200)
— Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns (+1400)

“It was definitely a surprise for sure, but definitely something I don’t take for granted,” Brissett told reporters Wednesday after being named among New England’s six team captains, per team-provided video. “Not only being a captain of this team and knowing all of the guys that I looked up to through this organization — and I have played with a lot of them — but also the history of this team. When you get voted by your peers, it’s something special rather than being appointed based on position, and it’s something I definitely don’t take for granted.”

Brissett rejoins the same Patriots organization that drafted him 91st overall (third round) in 2016, this time on a one-year, $8 million deal. There’s no guarantee Brissett will maintain the starting spot for the entirety, or even half, of the upcoming 2024 season, but the incentive of re-entering the free agency market with some bolstered stock value should keep Brissett motivated from the start of Week 1 and beyond.