When the Patriots drafted quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the third round in April, he was thought to become the eventual backup to Tom Brady, who is signed through 2019, as the team could use Jimmy Garoppolo as a trading chip next offseason.
But Brissett will be a backup sooner rather than later with the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit rejecting Brady’s request for an en banc hearing Wednesday and making it all but certain that Brady will serve his four-game Deflategate suspension this season.
Now, Brissett will spend all of training camp, the preseason, and the first month of his NFL career as a backup, rather than a third stringer.
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But he likely won’t be just relegate himself to the role of the backup. Brissett can make the competition for the starting position legitimate, going against Garoppolo, a third-year man whose contract is set to expire after 2017.
Brissett has a bit of a height and weight advantage over Garoppolo — Brissett is 6 feet 3 inches and 235 pounds; Garoppolo is 6-2, 225 — and boasts great arm strength, which he showcased during OTAs and minicamps, “when he threw some quick darts and some pretty long spirals.”
He also showed leadership skills and football savvy, correcting a receiver who had lined up in an illegal formation during minicamp in June. Having a knowledgeable quarterback room to draw upon doesn’t hurt either.
“I ask that whole meeting room questions as much as possible,” Brissett said in June. “I’m sure it probably gets annoying to them, but I’m just trying to learn as much as possible.”
Though Brissett has good arm strength, Garoppolo seems to have a tighter spiral. From Ben Volin’s roster observations in early June: “[Brissett] made some great throws during the week (including some beautiful deep balls) but was erratic at other times, particularly in the two-minute drill Thursday. But Brissett looks like he has a good head on his shoulders.”
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And from Volin’s OTAs observations in May: “This was the first time we got a look at Brissett, the rookie third-round pick. Brissett throws a good-looking ball as well, with a little more wobble than Garoppolo but still with good pace and accuracy on the medium throws. He struggled with the 20-yard outs — arguably the most difficult throw in football — but throws a really nice deep ball, with good trajectory. He’ll need to work on his deep accuracy, but Brissett can sling it.”
Brissett does have something — or someone — that Garoppolo doesn’t: Bill Parcells as a mentor.
“I can’t even describe what type of person he is and what he’s meant to my life,” Brissett said in May. “Just him grooming me as a man and preparing me for tough times, hard times, good times. He’s been so helpful to me throughout this process, and just keeping me steady and keeping a good head on my shoulders, and you know, I just can’t thank him enough.”
“I just tell him what to expect and what to be prepared for, that’s all,” Parcells said. “I don’t know everything, that’s for sure, but I’m very happy because I know he’s going to get good coaching and a good opportunity, and that’s all any player can ask for.”
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Brissett began his career at the University of Florida, starting three games over two seasons. After sitting out the 2013 season as a transfer, he started every game for North Carolina State over his final two seasons, throwing for 43 touchdowns and 5,268 yards. He only had 11 interceptions for the Wolfpack, and added 899 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His size makes it hard for defensive players to bring him down, but Brissett is also quick enough to make plays with his feet.
Jim McBride and Ben Volin of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Follow Rachel G. Bowers on Twitter @RachelGBowers.