Jacoby Brissett and Bill Parcells: The ‘Board of Directors’ Behind a 20-Year NFL Mentorship

TEMPE, Ariz. — Twice a year since high school, Jacoby Brissett walked into a specific round booth in the corner of Duffy’s Sports Grill in Jupiter, Florida. He headed straight for his usual seat, expecting a ‘Board of Directors’ meeting. Except Brissett wasn’t on any official board of an organization, charity, or company.

There was no conference room, no agenda, and no charter. His meetings were just three guys around a table talking about life and football, which, for them, is largely one and the same. If there’s a chairman of this mythical board, it’s Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, who named the biannual lunch that includes Brissett and his longtime friend and adviser, Abe Elam.

“We just sit and start talking,” Brissett told ESPN.”

The conversation ranges from Brissett starting at quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals to Parcells’ old team, the New York Giants, with whom he won two Super Bowls. Those two teams converge on Sunday when the Giants host the Cardinals. Parcells, who turned 85 in late August, spends his summers in upstate New York and winters on the east coast of Florida. He and Brissett will talk after Sunday’s game just as they have after each of the first three games of the season.

A ‘Board of Directors’ Meeting That Happened Before Sunday’s Game

Their relationship transcends sports. Parcells is one of the most important figures in the life of Brissett, 33. Their friendship spans nearly 20 years, back to when Parcells befriended Brissett’s high school coach and started hanging around practices at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He became a mentor to Brissett, guiding him in finances, professionalism, and, of course, football.

In return, Parcells gained a willing pupil who parlayed his guidance into an 11-year NFL career. Brissett may not be the most talented QB Parcells has coached, but lasting that long in the league is a testament to the intangibles that drew Parcells into the relationship.

Parcells says his role is to guide without being a nuisance. He notes that Brissett is a very good listener who has prepared physically and mentally and has been very good with his finances. “I’m just proud of him. I love him,” Parcells said.

From Basketball Dreams to a Football Legacy

Football wasn’t Brissett’s priority in high school. Far from it. In his mind, he was destined to play basketball. So, when Brissett met Parcells early in his high school career, Brissett didn’t really know this older man coming to watch him practice.

“The funny thing is, I hated football,” Brissett said. He admitted he watched football but never got super invested until he realized the older man was consistently right about the journey ahead.

In Brissett, Parcells saw a kindred spirit, albeit one 50 years younger. During lunch after the second time they met, Parcells told a teenage Brissett how they were similar.

“He goes, ‘You know, you’re just like me. I’m white. You’re Black. But we’re the same person,’” Brissett recalled. “I’m like, ‘How the hell are we the same? You’re 65 and I’m 14.’ Once they began talking about themselves, their families, how much they love football, Brissett saw it. I’m like, ‘I got a lot in common with this old man.’”

From then on, Parcells was there for every decision Brissett made. He encouraged Brissett to stick with football after high school, even though Brissett split snaps with a quarterback who didn’t play beyond their senior year. When Brissett decided to play quarterback at the University of Florida, top-rated prep prospect Jeff Driskel was waiting for him in Gainesville. That didn’t matter to Parcells. He reaffirmed the decision.

The Decision to Skip the 2016 Rookie Premiere

During Brissett’s rookie year with the Patriots, he was invited to the annual NFLPA rookie premiere in Los Angeles. The multiday event includes business seminars, networking, and photo shoots. Parcells called Brissett and told him not to go. Brissett paused. He wanted to go. Parcells thought Brissett had a chance to play early that season while Tom Brady was suspended for four games because of his role in Deflategate.

“It’ll mean a lot if you stayed,” Parcells told Brissett.

Brissett listened. He stayed in Massachusetts, but it wasn’t like he got extra time with coach Bill Belichick. Instead, Brissett stayed in his hotel room, studied his playbook, and adhered to another request from Parcells: “Don’t turn your TV on.”

“So, it’s not like he’s been watching me, but I’m legit not turning the TV on,” Brissett said. “And I don’t go to rookie premiere, and then sure enough, a month later, I’m playing in a National Football League game as a rookie. And he goes, ‘Aren’t you happy you didn’t go to the damn rookie premiere?’”

Lessons That Shaped an 11-Year Career

• Preparation over glamour: Skip the rookie premiere to study the playbook instead of networking.
• Financial discipline: Save money consistently; it is the first and last thing Parcells mentions in calls.
• Persistence: Make your own opportunity and keep doing the same things over and over again.
• Team first: Be a good teammate even if you are not the No. 1 option.

Tough Love, Financial Wisdom, and the Giants Matchup

Not a conversation goes by that Parcells doesn’t remind Brissett to save his money. It happens twice per conversation: typically the first thing Parcells brings up, “You saving your money?”, and the last thing he says before hanging up, “Hey, make sure you keep saving your money.”

Brissett’s money was an offseason storyline as he refused to participate in voluntary offseason OTAs and minicamp because of a contract dispute, holding in during the mandatory minicamp in June. He reached agreement on July 26 on a $15.5 million guaranteed contract with a chance to make $21 million with incentives.

Parcells has been a voice of reason and direction, using a no-nonsense approach with nonstop support. It has helped Brissett become more self-aware and build self-confidence because he quickly realized that Parcells has been around long enough to know what’s coming before it happens.

Parcells stressed that since Brissett wasn’t going to be the first choice, he needed to be a good teammate. He knew that would come easy because Brissett’s personality “endears him to people.” That, Brissett said, has helped him stay in the league for 11 years.

But this year was different. It’s the first year Brissett got QB1 snaps in camp and was the guy heading into the season. He has responded with the ninth-best QBR (69.6) in the league. Parcells stressed that his job is to get his team in the end zone, and if he does that, “they’re going to like you.”

Parcells never doubted whether Brissett could be an NFL starting quarterback. It was a matter of when. “Listen, you got to persist,” Parcells told him years ago when Brissett complained he had done everything right but couldn’t get in there. “If you’re not willing to persist, you’re not going to make it.”

Playing QB1 in 2026 and the Cardinals’ Resilience

Parcells has been there every step of the way. He has watched Brissett weather the storms and survive to talk about them over lunch. “Well, that’s just gathering experience professionally,” Parcells said. “And whether it’s a good experience or a bad experience, it’s a beneficial experience if you analyze it properly.”

Parcells says he doesn’t even worry about Brissett. He knows what he’s going to try to do. He has a very high regard for him personally and is rooting for him very hard. “He’s my friend. I love him,” Parcells said.

For Sunday’s game, that advice boils down to one thing: get the team in the end zone. For a quarterback who once hated football, that is exactly where he wants to be.

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