New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett has admitted that he's taking on the role of mentor to rookie Drake Maye as he begins his NFL career.
The 31-year-old is in a unique position to offer advice to the North Carolina prospect ahead of the new season. Despite potentially being the starting quarterback next term, head coach Jerod Mayo plans for Brissett to eventually hand over the reins to his protege.
Brissett, who previously played for the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns, knows what it's like to be in Maye's shoes. He was drafted in the third round as the 91st overall pick in 2016 by the Patriots, where he was behind Jimmy Garoppolo and Tom Brady in the pecking order.
READ MORE: Tom Brady seeks advice from the man whose job he took at FOX Sports
READ MORE: TV networks snub new-look New England Patriots with Bill Belichick scrutiny unlikely
New England Patriots warned Mac Jones is "limited" as quarterback fined again
Now back at the start of his journey with the New England Patriots, the seasoned player is committed to helping Maye adjust to life in the big leagues. Brissett has signed a one-year deal to return to his former team, with Coach Mayo identifying him as the ideal person to guide some of the Patriots' younger talents.
The quarterback opened up about his return to the team, emphasizing the importance of mentorship and teamwork: "When I was here the first time, you realize everybody's your mentor that's older than you in this league or has more experience, and I hope I'm that for more than just Drake. I'm a teammate first. I can be a good teammate to not only [Maye] but to everybody on this team."
He also expressed enthusiasm about mentoring newcomer Raye, recalling his own early days: "I'm excited to work with him. I remember when I was following [Tom Brady] around. (Maye's) already texting me about plays and how I think about things and cadence -- all the little nuances of being in this position at this level."
For all th e latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to .
Tom Brady previously mentored New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett during his first spell at Gillette Stadium (Getty)He further discussed the competitive spirit within the team: "I think the good thing about our room is honestly everybody wants to be the guy. Everybody's competing to be the guy. That's what you want. If none of us wanted to play, then our room would be messed up," he said, highlighting the healthy competition among the quarterbacks. "Like we would be in bad hands in this organization. I think everybody understands that, and everybody wants to play."
Reflecting on his decision to re-join New England, he praised the new head coach Mayo, signaling a fresh start for the Patriots post-Bill Belichick: "It's about the players, and he understands that. He molds it around the guys we have on our team. The cool thing is you can tell he's trying to make the players on the team run the team. Obviously, he's the head coach setting the standard. But he definitely puts a lot of responsibility on us players."
Speaking highly of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, he said: "Obviously, he played the position and has experiences in a lot of other places where he's been successful. We're still learning what we are going to be. Obviously, the end goal is to score a lot of points. The cool thing is we have a lot of good players at a lot of different positions who can do a bunch of things."
Reflecting on his return to Gillette Stadium, Brissett said: "I was 22, 23 years old. I was a kid in a candy store. Excited to be drafted and playing behind the greatest quarterback of all time and for the greatest coach of all time. You still feel that same feeling I felt when I was 23 walking into the building again."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
