John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
On the same day that their season opener began, the New England Patriots released their first unofficial roster, which listed Drake Maye as the backup quarterback.
Head coach Jerod Mayo’s unofficial roster lists Jacoby Brissett as the starter. Maye is second on the roster ahead of Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III.
The Patriots said throughout the offseason that Brissett would be QB1, but Maye would have the opportunity to play on the first team offense.
Eliot Wolf, New England’s executive vice president of player personnel, said on The Up & Adams Show with Kay Adams on May 28 that Brissett was the starter “right now” and that any decision about Mayo’s eventual acquisition would be a “joint” effort with Mayo.
On and Adams @sabine_schoen
Who decides when rookie QB Drake Maye is READY to start?@Patriots Eliot Wolf, vice president of player personnel, says it will be a “collaborative” approach with him and HC Jerod Mayo… 👀🔊@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/d39vVnYozr
The Patriots let Brissett play all of the first-team offense during the first week of training camp. Mayo told reporters on Aug. 1 that Maye would eventually work with that group as they “mix and match” quarterbacks.
Kayla Burton @Kay_Breezy22
Since the beginning of the camp #Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett took all 1-man reps.
Today, Jerod Mayo made it clear that Drake Maye will have the opportunity to train with the 1s…
“We’ll mix and match everything.”
Phil Perry by NBC Sports Boston noted during full-equipment practice on Monday that Maye made 21 appearances with the second unit in the 11-on-11 period.
Although no official statistics are kept during practice, Perry recorded that Maye completed 4 of 7 throws and was sacked four times in his 21 snaps.
Maye was ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2024 draft by B/R’s NFL scouting division. Leading up to the draft, there were many question marks about his NFL readiness.
An NFC scout told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that Maye would be “a big project because he’s not naturally very accurate.”
The Patriots selected Maye with the No. 3 overall pick. They signed Brissett as a free agent to have a stopgap quarterback in case the 21-year-old wasn’t ready to start at the start of the regular season.
Maye will be seen live in a game for the first time on Thursday night. The Patriots host the Carolina Panthers at 7 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium.
