The Patriots finally have all nine of their draft picks under contract.
The team announced that it signed its third-round quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Thursday. The North Carolina State product inked a four-year deal worth $3,410,832, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. That amount is more than 17 players drafted ahead of the No. 91 overall slot where Brissett was taken, Volin noted.
The 6-foot-4, 231-pound signal-caller is set to be the Patriots No. 2 quarterback for the first month of the season behind Jimmy Garoppolo should Tom Brady be forced to serve a four-game suspension for Deflategate. Brady is currently waiting to hear from the Second Circuit on whether or not that court will rehear his case.
Brissett's contract negotiations were unique on a few different accounts. First, he opted not to hire an agent during the pre-draft process. Instead, he was helped through the process by the NFLPA and by former NFL safety Abe Elam.
Brissett's negotiations were also complicated by the fact that he was drafted in the third round. Though rookie salaries are slotted based on draft position, the CBA allows for more creativity in the deals for third-rounders. One agent told the Florida Times-Union that the third round is the "wild, wild West" for negotiations.
Despite the fact that he was not technically under contract, Brissett was present for rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp. He showed a relatively accurate arm and good decision-making in team drills during practices open to the media, giving coach Bill Belichick two seemingly-capable young quarterbacks behind Tom Brady.