FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Jacoby Brissett had no expectations the first time he walked into the New England Patriots’ training facility in 2016 as a wide-eyed, 23-year-old rookie quarterback.

A third-round pick, he was joining a team that had a four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Tom Brady at the time and an entrenched backup in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Brissett didn’t know if he’d even make the roster.

“Third-string quarterback my rookie year. Took no reps at training camp or (organized team activities) with the first team. And Week 2 I’m in the game versus the Dolphins,” Brissett recalled on Thursday. “You never know when your opportunity is going to come. You’ve just got to ready.”

Brissett couldn’t have predicted that Brady would begin that 2016 season by serving a four-game suspension as part of his “Deflategate” punishment, or that Garoppolo would be injured in the second game of the season against Miami, thrusting him into the starting job for two games. But Brissett’s point is clear.