Despite the offseason drama, Brissett entered training camp as the unquestioned starting quarterback, the first time in his 11-year NFL career that was the case. It's the first time he's gotten the full prep time to be the starter, a situation he had been in three times previous for Week 1.
The spotlight runs hot in every season opener, but for a team's starting QB, "you're the first impression of what the season is going to look like," Brissett said.
What Brissett did last year over 12 starts – 3,336 yards, 23 touchdowns, only eight interceptions – helped propel Wilson's career and helped push Trey McBride on to the All-Pro team. That was not a small feat, with Wilson, who just signed a big extension, saying he was indebted to Brissett.
Brissett waved off any credit Wilson tried to give him. He is just part of the offense, he repeats often. A decade in the NFL gives him the gravitas as a leader, his emotion on the field forges a bond with others. McBride noted Brissett will make sure the defense knows when Brissett has made a good throw – "I think that's cool to see out of a quarterback."
The contract with Brissett was done a few days into training camp, and from there it was an accelerated process to teach Brissett the playbook and the verbiage. That was less of a chore for Brissett given his experience, even though he was not around during the offseason.
There was also an accelerated getting-to-know curve with the new head coach, since Brissett hadn't been around much once Mike LaFleur was hired.
But the two have quickly built a relationship (Brissett joked they were "best friends" now) and LaFleur, ever the coach, emphasized the important part was that both had a duty to be prepared for the regular season.
"Whether he was or was not a good dude — he probably wouldn't be here and he probably wouldn't have the career he did — all that's irrelevant," LaFleur said. "We have jobs to do, and we take it as such. It just so happens to be (that) he's a good dude and someone that I enjoy being around."
Brissett's teammates already knew that. For all the uncertainty over the offseason, it's long over. Brissett is QB1. And his teammates voted him a captain.
"That's the ultimate goal," Brissett said. "Ask any player in that locker room, you want that 'C' on your chest because you know how much it means to the people (in there)."