FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Quarterback Jacoby Brissett became the final New England Patriots draft choice to sign a contract on Thursday, and his deal highlights how players at his position can command more than other rookies selected ahead of him in the same round.
Brissett's deal is also notable from the perspective of him negotiating without an official agent; he had an adviser instead.
Here are a few key details/notes from Brissett's four-year deal:
As ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates noted, there are now 29 third-round picks signed, and only Brissett and Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler received 100 percent of their slotted maximum compensation. It's no coincidence that both are quarterbacks.
The maximum value of the deal is higher than 17 third-round picks selected before him at No. 91.
The total compensation of the pact is $3,410,832, while the total guarantee is $680,604 (which is his signing bonus).
He receives workout bonuses of $25,000 in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
His base salaries are $450,000 in 2016, $580,038 in 2017, $735,076 in 2018, and $890,114 in 2019. The base salaries in the final three seasons are $315,228 higher than the minimum level over that span, which once again reflects how quarterback is a premium position. Kessler, for example, had his base salaries in the final three years total $384,294 over the minimum (but he doesn't have workout bonuses).
The Patriots' other eight draft picks all signed May 6, as the delay for Brissett was due to multiple factors.
First, he plays a premium position, so this wasn't a case of where the sides would take the deal from the 91st pick last year and just slot it in. And finally, negotiations in the third round have become more challenging in recent years in the new CBA, as previously noted.