3 players who could be nice surprises for Patriots in 2024

Jacoby Brissett

What the future holds for Drake Maye's rookie season will remain a debate until a quarterback is officially named the starter, so until then, we'll continue under the assumption that Jacoby Brissett will hold that title.

Although he's far from an impressive player, Brissett was signed to be the veteran bridge quarterback and mentor for a reason. He started his career with the Patriots, starting two games his rookie season while Tom Brady was suspended. He didn't do anything too exciting, but he had the makings of being a good backup.

The following season, Bill Belichick traded him to the Colts for Phillip Dorsett, as Indianapolis needed a quarterback to sub in for an injured Andrew Luck. Brissett spent the next four years with the team, becoming the starter for the 2019 season when Luck unexpectedly retired just weeks before the season began.

He went on to be the starter for various reasons for the Dolphins and Browns and spent last season with the Commanders in a backup role.

Because of his connection to offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt from their time in Cleveland, it was believed to be the main reason Brissett was signed in free agency, other than knowing they were going to draft a quarterback. Now that Maye has been added, he will be the veteran leadership to guide the rookie as he transitions into the NFL.

With that could come some good football from Brissett, especially reuniting with the offensive coordinator who helped him achieve the best statistical season of his career. We know he's not Tom Brady, but he's more than equipped to help the Patriots win games this season, no matter how many he is the starter for.

The familiarity with Van Pelt will work wonders for him, on top of Eliot Wolf re-signing guys like Kendrick Bourne and Hunter Henry. Throw in DeMario Douglas, K.J. Osborn, and Rhamondre Stevenson; Brissett has a solid cast around him who are fired up and determined to prove the doubters wrong this year.

He can take advantage of that and surprise a lot of people.