A few months ago, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo didn’t seem to have much confidence in rookie quarterback Drake Maye. In fact, Mayo said during rookie minicamp that Maye still had a lot of work to do.
Therefore, most people thought that Jacoby Brissett was a sure candidate for the job as starting quarterback for the Patriots in the first week.
But now Maye seems to be picking up some momentum.
After recently not ruling out Maye starting in Week 1, Mayo is now expressing his utmost confidence in the first-year playmaker.
“I think he’s 100 percent ready to take the lead,” Mayo said, via Karen Guregian of Mass Live.
While Brissett is still the favorite to start, Maye is clearly catching up and could perhaps still make a significant appearance in 2024.
This is a big change from the beginning of the offseason. Maye has been impressive in training camp and the preseason, and Brissett hasn’t exactly been brilliant.
For this reason, the door is open for Maye, but he is probably still in a difficult position.
The Patriots do not offer Drake Maye a good situation
Perhaps the biggest problem for Mayes’ starting job is that the Patriots don’t exactly offer ideal circumstances for the young player.
New England has all sorts of problems on offense. It has perhaps the worst skill position players in football. Its offensive line is a mess. Its running game was awful in 2023.
It’s worth noting that the Patriots have some interesting young talent, such as rookie wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker and second-year wide receiver Demario Douglas. But those guys aren’t proven talents yet, so Maye wouldn’t have a true No. 1 pass catcher at his disposal.
These variables will likely play a significant role in Mayo’s decision when it comes time to announce its starting quarterback for the season opener.
Plus, New England is certainly still timid due to the Mac Jones era and will likely want to handle Maye with kid gloves going forward. The Pats went just 4-13 last year, so they need to make sure they don’t screw anything up with the University of North Carolina product.
Still, Drake Maye seems to be making quite an impression in Foxborough.
