It’s amazing that less than four years ago, the NFL world was debating whether Tom Brady was the product of a Bill Belichick-led organization or if he would prove himself to be the true GOAT. Over the past four seasons, the Patriots have gone from team of the century to the joke of the league. Belichick is now gone after a series of terrible offenses and terrible draft classes. The short-lived Cam Newton experiment and the poorly managed Mac Jones era still leave Patriots fans with the taste of defeat in their mouths. Unfortunately for them, if they were counting on Drake Maye to make the franchise relevant again, that train may have already left the station.
When Maye was selected third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was naturally assumed that he would take the reins immediately. However, if Mac Jones has shown us anything, it’s that throwing a rookie quarterback into the fire while surrounded by a terrible team is one of the quickest ways to ruin a career. Jones had an average rookie season in 2021, followed by two years of declining play. It wasn’t really his fault, as the talent on those New England teams was among the worst of the last decade. It also seemed like he was benched every other half and no one knew who would be starting at quarterback on a weekly basis. When you play for the fans of New England (Boston), a lack of confidence on the field is the last thing you need.
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So what does new head coach Jerod Mayo do before the season starts? Start a quarterback controversy, of course! In the offseason, New England brought back a familiar face in Jacoby Brissett. Brissett may be a roving prospect, but he’s a quiet player who doesn’t get enough credit for his consistent play. He’s the perfect transition quarterback for a team that’s at least a season or two away from contention. While Drake Mayo has a lot of potential, it’s questionable whether he has what it takes to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. He’s almost identical to Sam Darnold when he came into the league. All the right things, perfect physique, great arm, and for some reason he didn’t get many wins in college.
Much like Mac Jones did in the first preseason, Maye has excited Patriots fans. But let’s be honest. He’s played a few quarters in three games against third-rate defenses without putting up eye-popping numbers. And yet he’s done enough that less than 24 hours after saying “He (Maye) is our second-best quarterback on our roster right now,” Mayo could inexplicably say, “At this point, Drake has played more than Jacoby.” By contradicting himself, he will now lead to a season of questions about who should play quarterback.
The worst-case scenario would be throwing Maye in at the deep end in Week 1 behind perhaps the worst offensive line in the NFL. Not only will he be running and running for his life, the weapons around him are some of the worst in the league. He’ll be throwing 50 times a game while he and the Patriots get beat up every week. Not only is there a serious risk of injury (see Burrows’ rookie season), but you also risk permanently damaging the confidence of a great quarterback candidate in the toughest sports city in America (see Mac Jones). Both are extremely difficult to recover from.
Because of Mayo’s ill-advised comments, fans at Gillette Stadium will be clamoring for Maye relentlessly every week when Brissett starts the season and things go horribly (which they will). It’s an everybody-lose situation and one that will carry through the Patriots’ entire season. The best thing New England can do this week is announce that Brissett will be the starter for all of 2024, regardless of the results. That way, Maye can plan to take over in 2025 and work on his game without the pressure of being put in a horrible situation.
