Jerod Mayo’s confidence in Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has grown over the past few weeks, leading to renewed competition for the Week 1 starting spot between Maye and Jacoby Brissett.
As the Patriots entered their final preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, the first-year head coach laid out New England’s plan for Maye.
“He’s going to focus more on the Patriots stuff, and he’s going to focus more on the Washington stuff, quite frankly,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium, according to a video provided by the team.
Maye and Brissett are expected to face Washington on Sunday, and Mayo will be paying attention to the specific playmaking of the Patriots’ playmakers.
The story continues below the ad
“I think it starts with the operation,” Mayo said. “I always say, ‘Good huddle, good break, good play.’ So it starts in the huddle, then getting the guys set up, going out there, executing the play, making the right decisions and moving the offense down the field.”
Mayo added that the Patriots expect to know who their starting quarterback will be early next week, but may not announce the decision immediately.
“I would say by Monday night we should know who the quarterback is,” Mayo said. “It’s always hard on a Sunday night game to really look through the film, especially on the road. But I think by Monday or Tuesday you probably should know who it is. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you on Monday or Tuesday.”
The New England head coach added that the decision about the starting quarterback will be made in collaboration with him, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the other offensive coaches and Eliot Wolf.
The story continues below the ad
“I think I have the final say when it comes to the players going on the field,” Mayo said. “I know I’ve used that word many times – we’re going to work together on this.”
Mayo reiterated that Brissett is still the Patriots’ best quarterback.
“You come into camp and you want to have an idea of how it’s going,” Mayo said. “It’s still a competition and Jacoby is still QB1. It’s a competition between all the guys on the field, including the quarterback position. So hopefully that makes sense … but he’s still QB1.”
