EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bill Belichick made a grand statement on Thursday night in the preseason finale. And it had nothing to do with Tom Brady’s role as the leader of the Patriots, or his faith in Jimmy Garoppolo after an up-and-down preseason, or whether he thinks Jacoby Brissett has had the better preseason among his young quarterbacks.

No, Belichick’s statement had nothing to do with the awkward dance he’s had to navigate with Brady­ and Garoppolo this training camp. Belichick’s message was short and to the point: He thinks the fourth preseason game is a waste of time.

Maybe not a complete waste — Barkevious Mingo, D.J. Foster, and a handful of roster bubble players got some good action in Thursday night’s 17-9 loss to the Giants.

But Garoppolo sitting out told us everything we need to know about how much Belichick values the fourth preseason game.

Getting Garoppolo ready for Week 1 is the “priority,’’ as Belichick has stated several times. And Garoppolo needs as much work as he can get in the preseason. His performance against the Panthers last week did not go well.

Yet Garoppolo sat against the Giants­.­ The only time he broke a sweat was during pregame warm-ups.

It was a sign from Belichick that Garoppolo is the now the Patriots’ starting quarterback, a title not wrestled away from Brady easily. Brady sat out the final preseason game each year from 2012-15 to avoid injury. This time it was Garoppolo’s turn.

Brady, set to be exiled for four weeks, played the first half against the Giants, his first action in the final preseason game since 2011. He played 39 snaps (including penalties, a 2-point conversion, and a kneeldown), throwing for 166 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Belichick said after the game that the plan was to let Brady play the first half. Brissett played the entire second half as Garoppolo sat.

“I’m happy I was able to play as much as I did,’’ Brady said. “The practices are really important, but ultimately the game decisions and getting hit — it’s all about decision-making as a quarterback, you try to replicate it in practice. But at the end of the day it’s got to be game situations and real football, and that’s what these games allow you to do.’’

This was the second straight week that Brady put Garoppolo on the sideline. But the circumstances couldn’t have been more different.

Last week against Carolina, it was about placating Brady’s ego and maniacal competitiveness, and allowing Brady to reassert himself with his teammates and his fans. Brady split practice snaps with Garoppolo fairly evenly during camp, didn’t play in the first two preseason games, and wasn’t happy about it. Finally given the green light to play against the Panthers, Brady made sure to be the first Patriot to run out of the tunnel, participate in the coin toss, and spark the offense when he went into the game. Belichick allowed Brady to mark his territory last week, so to speak.

But Thursday night’s preseason finale didn’t have the same vibe. It was good for Brady to get some extended reps against the Giants — news flash, he still looks really good — but this game wasn’t about Brady getting a little work before his suspension begins on Saturday or putting Garoppolo in his place. The Giants sat eight of 11 starters on defense, so it wasn’t much of a test for Brady.

Brady played on Thursday night because, as Belichick always says, it was the best move for the team. An injury to Garoppolo against the Giants would have been a disaster. Imagine the Patriots going into Week 1 with Brissett as the starter, and some journeyman signed off the street as the backup. Brady, at least, has five weeks to heal up and get ready.

Belichick was asked after the game about putting Brady at risk for an injury.

“You can’t take insurance out on players,’’ Belichick said. “I don’t know how you get better playing football without playing football. Stand around and talk about it all day — I don’t think that really makes you a better player.’’

That answer, though, also applies to Garoppolo. Jimmy G certainly didn’t get any better on Thursday night by sitting on the bench. But the positives he could have gained were far outweighed by the negative of risking injury.

So Garoppolo sat, even though he probably could have used the reps.

Thankfully, Garoppolo took hundreds if not thousands of snaps in the five weeks of preseason practices. He played in three preseason games, and participated in three full-speed joint practices against the Saints and Bears. He’s as ready for Arizona as he’ll ever be. Playing a few more snaps against the Giants wouldn’t have changed much.

Not to mention, having Brady on the field Thursday night was probably quite helpful for Belichick as he evaluates the roster one last time in advance of Saturday’s roster cuts. When Brady is on the field, Belichick knows the offensive line assignments will be called correctly, that the proper receiver will get thrown the ball, and that the play won’t break down at the first sign of a pass rush. It’s a lot easier for Belichick to evaluate the other 10 players on the field when TB12 is calling the shots.

And even with Brady playing behind the backup offensive line in the second quarter, Belichick knew Brady could get the ball out quickly and avoid big hits (though everyone cringed when Brady took a sack and a couple of other hits in the first half).

So Garoppolo sat, and Brissett only played a half, even though both could have used a lot more reps.

Thursday’s game wasn’t about the quarterbacks. It was about evaluating Mingo and Foster, and sorting out the offensive line, and Belichick figuring out if he should keep five wide receivers or four tight ends on the final roster.

And it was about getting out of MetLife Stadium as quickly as possible and not putting any stock into a meaningless fourth preseason game.

Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @BenVolin