As a fan of the New York Jets, I had to come to terms with the fact that my team and the AFC East as a whole belonged to Tom Brady for decades.
So you’ll forgive me for feeling a little gloating about the fact that today is August 17th and the New England Patriots cannot yet say who their starting quarterback will be in three weeks’ time at the regular season opener in Cincinnati.
A whole new era begins in Foxborough.
Not only are the Patriots five years behind them since Brady’s last stint as quarterback, but they are now marching without Bill Belichick to pull all the strings. Jerod Mayo was able to start fresh after the Patriots traded away former first-round pick Mac Jones.
Mayo played it safe and opened training camp eyeing Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback because he was the most “pro-ready” guy in the room. Drake Maye, the third draft pick, is slowly overtaking him. On Friday, after the Pats’ second preseason game, Mayo said the competition is “definitely not over.”
Will New England wait until Week 7 or 9 to hand the reins to the rookie? The two guys selected ahead of Maye, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, are undoubtedly the starters for Chicago and Washington. Maye should join them and start in Week 1.
It’s not the most uncomfortable quarterback situation in the NFL this year; the Atlanta Falcons brought it on themselves by paying Kirk Cousins a ton of money and then angering him by selecting Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth pick. But Brissett signed a one-year, $8 million deal to return to the team that drafted him in 2016, and he stands in the way of the Patriots getting a head start on their future.
I’ve always been a quiet fan of Brissett. The guy has gotten into some weird situations before, namely in 2019 when Andrew Luck retired weeks before the season and Brissett did a great job all year as the Indianapolis Colts’ unexpected starter. Then there was 2022 when he led the Cleveland Browns in rushing for 11 games before Deshaun Watson served his suspension.
Brissett is 31 now, soon to be 32, and if preseason results mean anything, it’s that he didn’t set the world on fire. A three-and-out in the opening play before Maye entered the game. Seventeen yards and an end zone interception against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday.
In Mayo’s eyes, Maye has shown steady progress, with a rushing touchdown and 6-of-11 passing in limited game practice Thursday.
“Some of the things that have happened the last few weeks have been just pressure buildup. I thought he was better overall, using his legs and really extending plays,” Mayo said.
“… He’s got to be quicker, get guys in and out of the huddle quicker, get to the line and just get to the point. That’s what he’s got to work on and that’s what he’s doing. We’ve got three days of camp left and that’s what I’m going to focus on with him.”
Sounds like a guy who wants to wait until the last minute to announce his decision for Week 1. Belichick would be proud!
The Patriots – and as a Jets player, I say this with great joy – will not be competitive this season regardless of the quarterback decision. They just traded away disgruntled pass rusher Matthew Judon. The roster is not one Brandon Aiyuk away from beating the Bills, Dolphins and Jets in the AFC East, and they walked away from courting Aiyuk after a trade offer to the 49ers fell through. So move Maye to center, get him playing time as soon as possible and start planning for your future.
Or Mayo could still call up his old teammate Brady. Sounds like he thinks he can still throw the football around.
