What Tom Brady’s suspension means for Jacoby Brissett

Now that we have had a few days to digest the news that Tom Brady will officially miss the first four games of the 2016 regular season, let’s take a look at one of the major stakeholders in the story: rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

Here’s what we know. We know that Brissett will begin the season as at least the No. 2 quarterback on the active roster. The reasoning here is obvious: Brady’s unavailability in the month of September simply opens a spot on the game-day depth chart, and Brissett will fill that hole barring some type of training camp catastrophe.

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In other words, Brissett will start the year just a snap away from assuming starting quarterback duties. Not being accustomed to starting himself, Jimmy Garoppolo won’t be nearly as adept at protecting himself in the face of a heated pass rush as Tom Brady, so be ready for Jimmy G to get injured, from which point Brissett would step onto the field.

It should also be remembered that at this point, Brissett is a completely unknown quantity, and that could work in his favor. Expectations for him are relatively low because after all, he is a rookie… but if Brissett were to tear it up in training camp and turn heads throughout the preseason, he could force the Patriots to consider starting him in Week 1 even if Garoppolo is healthy.

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Now, let’s think about the long-term.

Considering that Jimmy G’s contract runs out after the 2017 season, the Patriots will have no shortage of big decisions to make at the quarterback position at that point in time. Brady will be 40 years old; Garoppolo will have been in Brady’s shadow for four seasons; Brissett will have been a backup for two seasons. What exactly are the Patriots going to do? Well, it’s up to Brissett to make that decision even more challenging.

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If Brissett continues to display that rare blend of athleticism, arm strength and accuracy that drew the Patriots’ attention in the draft and was evident in offseason workouts, it’s possible that Brissett will contend for the end-all, be-all starting job for the post-Brady era.

Right now, Brady’s suspension represents a grand opportunity for Brissett to (1) prove himself as a backup quarterback in the NFL, and (2) take advantage of any and every opportunity the football gods grant to him.

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See? Brady’s suspension isn’t the worst thing in the world after all.