FOXBOROUGH — On the first day of training camp, Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett was asked how he spent his five weeks of summer vacation.
“Got away from football,” Brissett said. “Just hung out really at the house, played some golf, hung out with some friends, and that was pretty much it.”
Turns out, Brissett was being modest. Earlier this month, Brissett texted his teammates and suggested they get together for throwing sessions in Florida before the start of training camp.
It didn’t take much convincing to get everyone on board.
“I wouldn’t say [he was] stressing it,” Milton said. “He said it one time, and everybody said, ‘For sure.’ ”
On the weekend of July 13, the Patriots held two days of throwing sessions at Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Fla., and the turnout couldn’t have been better.
All four Patriots quarterbacks attended, as did most, if not all, of the receivers, including JuJu Smith-Schuster, K.J. Osborn, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, Kendrick Bourne, and others. It was like Tom Brady’s famous offseason throwing sessions in Montana with Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, and Rob Gronkowski, but with a larger turnout.
“That was a good time down there in Florida,” rookie quarterback Drake Maye said. “It was hot — good thing we worked out early in the morning. It was good to see those guys and check in over the break and just keep working.”
The quarterbacks and receivers not only worked out together for two days, but also went bowling and had dinner. The get-together took place a week before the Patriots’ rookies had to report for training camp, serving as an important “welcome back to football” session.
“It was great — very helpful to bond outside of football,” Milton said. “Bowling, football, just being around each other to get better chemistry.”
The Patriots enter 2024 with three new quarterbacks, three new receivers, a new offensive scheme, and need all of the extra work they can get.
“I thought it was great, not only just from the football aspect, but just being around the guys, and being able to hang out with each other outside of Boston and Foxborough and away from the facility,” Brissett said. “We had a great time. A lot of guys came and showed up. Just getting everybody back in the swing of, ‘This is what we call this, this is what we’re expecting this,’ and just some basic fundamentals of our offense.”
This was the type of leadership and initiative the Patriots hoped for this spring when they signed Brissett to be the mentor for a rookie quarterback and most likely the starter to begin the season. Head coach Jerod Mayo said Friday he didn’t know that his players had convened on their own before camp.
“I love to hear it. I just learned that from you,” Mayo said. “Obviously, they want to get those extra reps in to make sure everyone is on the same page. As they continue to learn and grow throughout the playbook, let me say, then their real, true athleticism can start to show.”
The players came to Florida from various corners of the country to participate. The enthusiasm bodes well for the camaraderie on offense, and is a sign of the players’ dedication to turning around the Patriots, who bottomed out at 4-13 last year.
“It was a good turnout,” third-year quarterback Bailey Zappe said. “It is a good sign — especially when you can reach out to everybody, everybody responds, and everybody shows up. That just shows that everybody wants to go out there and work.”
The fact that all four quarterbacks showed up is especially positive. They are locked in a fierce competition this camp — Brissett is trying to hold off Maye as the starter, while Zappe is likely competing with Milton for a roster spot. It can’t be easy befriending the guy trying to take your job. The last couple of years, the relationship between Zappe and Mac Jones was reportedly icy.
But Brissett stresses the importance of building each other up and keeping in mind that they are still teammates.
“I said this in the room the other day, ‘Let’s go out there and compete against each other, but also when we do something right, let’s not be too far ahead that we can’t cheer for the next person,’ ” Brissett said. “This league is hard enough. Might as well go out there and have fun.”
The extra throwing sessions probably won’t make a major difference in the Patriots’ win-loss record in 2024. And the Patriots weren’t the only team to have their players work out together during summer vacation.
But it’s certainly a positive sign that the Patriots’ players took the initiative to practice on their own, and got a good turnout.
“Jacoby’s leading the way there at quarterback. He’s been in the scheme before, and he’s really displayed a lot of leadership,” Mayo said. “I’m happy where they are. They’re out here, they’re working hard, and that’s really all you can ask for. The progress will continue to go.”
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.