When Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells recently raved about Patriots rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett, there was a good reason for it. As explained by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, Parcells has been advising and mentoring Brissett for years.
“I’ve known him since he was 16 or 17, and if you can help kids along the way, that’s something I get a great deal of satisfaction out of,” Parcells told Volin.
Prior to the draft, Parcells told Brissett where he should and shouldn’t visit.
“Jacoby did a thing for the Chargers, and [Parcells] said, ‘That’s it. You’re not going anywhere else. We’re shutting it down,’” said Brissett’s high school coach, Jack Daniels. “Then the Patriots called, and [Parcells] goes, ‘Get on that plane.’ So he flew up and had a great visit with the Patriots.”
Since Brissett was picked in round three by the Patriots, a team led by former Parcells protegé Bill Belichick, Parcells has given Brissett specific advice about where to live (Foxborough) and what to have close to his apartment (a laundromat and a restaurant that will customize his meals).
Brissett doesn’t have an agent, which means little when it comes to the negotiation of his first contract. However, agents routinely hype players to all teams and the media in the hopes of getting the player drafted as high as possible.
It’s likely not a coincidence that there wasn’t much national buzz about Brissett before he was picked. Perhaps in this case, the person pulling the strings was more concerned about ensuring that the player doesn’t maximize earnings on his first deal but landing in a spot that will lay the foundation for a successful career.
Brisset begins that career as the third quarterback picked by the Patriots in round three or earlier since 2011, as the Patriots plan for the inevitability of life without Tom Brady. One of these rookie quarterbacks eventually will take over for Brady. Perhaps, with guidance from Parcells, Brissett will choose to wait as long as he needs to in order to secure the chance to become Brady’s successor.