Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett Admits His ‘Surprise’ To Earning Team Honor

Five of the six New England Patriots captains have something in common. Each of them endured a discouraging 4-13 campaign with the Patriots last season.

The one captain who didn't go through that experience? Jacoby Brissett.

But that didn't deter Brissett's Patriots teammates from voting for him as a captain alongside David Andrews, Jabrill Peppers, Ja'Whaun Bentley, Joe Cardona and Deatrich Wise Jr. And Brissett receiving the honor after being a newcomer to this version of the Patriots caught him off guard.

"It was definitely a surprise, for sure, but definitely something I don't take for granted," Brissett told reporters Wednesday following practice, per team-provided transcript. "Not only being a captain of this team and knowing all the guys that I looked up to in this organization -- I 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. It's something I definitely don't take for granted."

Brissett, who was named the starting quarterback over rookie Drake Maye, enters his second stint with the Patriots with plenty of experience. After spending his rookie season with New England in 2016, he quarterbacked four other teams and got 48 starts under his belt. That's a solid amount, especially when considering the two other signal-callers on New England's active roster have yet to see the field in a regular season NFL game.

That sets Brissett up to be a mentor to Maye and Joe Milton III while also looking to lead a young offensive unit which features rookies at several key positions, most notably at wide receiver.

It's a much different role for Brissett than in his first go-around with the Patriots when there wasn't much of anything expected from him.

"I think my knowledge of football has definitely grown," Brissett said. "Fortunately, I have a week now, rather than two days, to get ready for a game, so that's good. Obviously, just the excitement that I had when I was 22 years old, 23 years old, I still feel that same way right now. So, I'm excited for this week ahead. I'm excited for our team to go on the road the first week and kind of make our imprint this year in what this 2024 season is going to be."