Drake Maye was the New England Patriots’ most exciting quarterback this preseason. But according to head coach Jerod Mayo, he wasn’t the best.
So Maye, the rookie selected with the Patriots’ highest draft pick since Drew Bledsoe came to Foxborough, will not be in the starting lineup against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. Instead, that honor will go to Jacoby Brissett, the veteran quarterback who was signed in the offseason for exactly that reason.
Mayo’s statement that Maye is “our second-best quarterback on our roster right now” was complicated at first glance and, based on performance in preseason games, not entirely accurate. The first-year passer added a new dimension to New England’s passing game and brought a free-flowing forward attack the Pats have rarely seen since Tom Brady left for Tampa Bay.
This touchdown was cancelled by (YET ANOTHER) penalty against Okorafor, but what a throw by Drake Maye pic.twitter.com/gPxLgkY0fT
— Ben Brown 🌻 (@BenBrownPL) 26 August 2024
But there’s more to it than mere enthusiasm. Brissett is a polished stone; a player honed by more than a decade of NFL work, whose inconsistencies have become mere bluntness. New England chose him this offseason because he rarely makes bone-crushing mistakes.
Maye, on the other hand, is a gem in the rough. In the wrong hands, his luster can fade and he may never quite regain his shine. And that offensive line – the same one that caused Brissett to miss the Pats’ final preseason game with a shoulder injury – has the stone-carving skills of a prison convict gang.
This is the play that injured Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett: pic.twitter.com/DcraKZpkjV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) 26 August 2024
That’s the risk Mayo doesn’t want to take. Good prospects can be ruined by poor supporting casts. If Maye is in a situation where he’s protected by the likes of Vederian Lowe, Caedan Wallace and Layden Robinson – all capable of solid performances but relatively unknown to date – he’s likely to develop the kind of bad habits that jeopardize a career. Think of David Carr in his first year with the Houston Texans or Blake Bortles starting his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Factor in a similarly disappointing receiver corps, and it’s possible only the league’s best quarterbacks could find success with this 2024 Patriots roster.
So it makes sense that Mayo went with a player with a high minimum and low upside in Brissett rather than the wide variance of a rookie quarterback. The Patriots can take comfort in the fact that while their veteran quarterback isn’t particularly exciting (51 touchdown passes in 48 NFL starts), he’s a steady, calming presence and plays efficient football. Thirty-nine passers have played at least 1,000 regular-season snaps since 2019. Brissett’s 0.096 expected points (EPA) per play ranks just 23rd, but is still significantly better than Mac Jones’ 0.032 over the same time period.
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If Brissett gets pressured behind that line by a receiver corps that can barely get free, it could ruin New England’s 2024 season. If Maye gets pressured behind that line by a receiver corps that can barely get free, it could ruin New England’s next three seasons and beyond. Mayo assessed his risk, understood exactly why Brissett was on his roster, and went with the safe bet.
And while Maye may be making an undeniable impression on the practice field, he can change his mind at any time.
