Unbelievable stat might mean new Patriots starter is better than you think

Heading into the offseason, despite holding the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was assumed the Patriots would sign a veteran quarterback as a bridge player for the eventual incoming rookie. There were rumblings that they might go after one of the top free agents and make them the starter, but instead, they signed Jacoby Brissett on a one-year deal to fill that role.

Because more exciting players were available in free agency, there wasn't a lot of optimism about Brissett's return to Foxboro, as he has had a predominately unimpressive career.

He has spent most of the seven years he's been away from the Patriots as a backup quarterback, with his most successful starting year under offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt's play calling in Cleveland, which may have played a role in his signing.

Reuniting with the coach who helped him accomplish his best statistical season seems to imply that Brissett will have a more successful year in New England than most realize, which is a positive sign for the state of an otherwise questionable offense. Deciding to sign the veteran looks even better when learning a little-known fact shared by ESPN's Mike Reiss on Sunday in his weekly quick-hit thoughts and notes article.

Wild Jacoby Brissett stat provides a new look at his NFL career

At the end of Reiss' article covering all things Patriots training camp, he shared an unbelievable stat about Brissett's career accuracy. It's not just his impressive pass-to-interception ratio; it's who he's in the company of, which boggles the mind.

"Brissett has thrown an interception on 1.4% of his career pass attempts, tied with Aaron Rodgers for the lowest interception percentage of any quarterback (minimum 1,000 pass attempts). In 48 starts and 1,600 pass attempts, Brissett has tossed just 23 interceptions. Rodgers has 105 interceptions in 7,661 pass attempts."

It's fair to say there was probably never a stat that anyone could have imagined that would put Brissett and Aaron Rodgers in the same sentence, but here we are.

It might be a drastically far-apart sample since Rodgers has been a starter in the NFL since 2008, but it still proves that Brissett might be a lot better than fans initially thought. It's a factor that could significantly benefit the offense's chances this upcoming season, especially if the offensive line continues to be a concern or the wide receivers.

If Brissett can remain accurate despite it all, the Patriots could be in better hands this fall.

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