Exactly one year after re-joining the New England Patriots on a one-year free agency deal, Jacoby Brissett is on his way out of town again. The veteran quarterback is reportedly signing a contract to become the Arizona Cardinals’ backup, and reunite with one of his former coaches, Drew Petzing.

The move itself is not a major loss for the Patriots, but still one worth taking a closer look at.

No surprise

When Brissett returned to the team that originally had made him a third-round selection in the 2016 draft last spring, there was no secret about what his role and staying prospects would be. He always was a placeholder, filling in at the most important position on the field until an eventual longer-term successor would emerge.

That is exactly what happened in October, when the Patriots decided to bench Brissett after five lackluster starts in favor of rookie Drake Maye. The first-round draft pick never looked back from that point on, relegating the veteran to spectator for the rest of the season (he did enter one game as an injury replacement but never seriously threatened Maye’s standing atop the depth chart).

The writing was already on the wall from that point on, and Brissett not even taking the field in the season finale — third-stringer Joe Milton played most of that particular contest — was the final chapter in his second act in New England. Him leaving the organization two months later was alway the expected outcome.

Job done

Sure, the Patriots hoped to get more wins out of Brissett as their starting quarterback; if he had, who knows whether or not the coaching staff would have been overhauled after the season. However, wins and losses per se were not the primary concern for the rebuilding organization in 2024: putting itself in a good position for the future was.

In that regard, Brissett played an important role. Together with coaches Alex Van Pelt, T.C. McCartney and Ben McAdoo, he was tasked with mentoring both Drake Maye and Joe Milton through their rookie seasons.

How much his impact helped bring Maye in particular along cannot be quantified. However, the young passer sang his praises at every opportunity.

“It’s been awesome with Jacoby,” Maye said back in December. “He’s been one of the best teammates that I’ve ever been around, and a mentor to me. Learning how to study the call sheet and how to be a quarterback and the responsibility that comes with being a quarterback for the New England Patriots.”

From that point of view, Brissett did precisely what he was brought in to do.

First departure

The Patriots’ free agency class was not in particularly high demand early on this week. Despite eight players being subject to legal tampering due to their statuses as unrestricted free agents, none ended up agreeing to any contracts on Monday.

This means that Brissett is the first member of the group to depart New England. The others — DT Daniel Ekuale, RB JaMycal Hasty, S Jaylinn Hawkins, CB Jonathan Jones, K Joey Slye, DE Deatrich Wise Jr., ED Oshane Ximines — remain unaccounted for at the moment. Out of those, one shared team captain honors with Brissett in 2024.

Deatrich Wise Jr. was voted a captain last fall, earning the recognition for a third year in a row. Now, there is a chance both captains leave the team.

No compensatory impact

Free agents signing with other teams are factored into the NFL’s compensatory draft picks formula, potentially helping a club earn up to four extra selections the following year. In theory, Brissett factors into that mix as well. However, it will not end up mattering in the grand scheme of things.

New England signed seven players on Monday, and reached massive contracts with the likes of Milton Williams and Carlton Davis. Even if Brissett’s Cardinals deal qualifies to cancel out one of the pickups made by the team, the Patriots will find themselves in the deep red — and without any compensatory picks — for the rest of the year.