Patriots rookie Drake Maye may have clinched the starting spot on Sunday night.
Maye, selected third overall in this year’s draft, was another star performer for New England, throwing for 126 yards and a touchdown in a 20-10 loss to the Commanders, which saw presumed starter Jacoby Brissett exit early in the first half with a shoulder injury.
Mayes’ 47-yard touchdown throw to fellow rookie Ja’Lynn Polk was called back for a holding offense, and he completed a pass despite losing his cleat when a lineman stepped on his foot.
The performance and Maye’s steady improvement in the offseason may have upended New England’s alleged plan to start Brissett early in the season.
“I want to say this is a real competition … and I would say Drake has outperformed Jacoby at this point,” head coach Jerod Mayo said Monday morning on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show.” “Now we have to take into account all the work that went back to the spring and the start of training camp and we’ll see where we land. But those are the conversations that will be had here over the next few days.”
The 21-year-old Maye has a good chance of being named QB1 this offseason.
He ran for a touchdown and led two of the team’s three touchdown drives against the Eagles last week.
Despite some signs, new coach Mayo has not yet signed the former North Carolina star.
“I think at the beginning he was trying to adjust and just be a good teammate,” Mayo said of Maye, according to Pro Football Talk on 98.5 The Sports Hub.
“Now he’s competing for the starting quarterback spot; he’s really improved his preparation and performance on the field.”
Brissett, who is making his second season with the Patriots, was long expected to start in Week 1, but he struggled at times in the preseason.
Although his night ended shortly after a sack by Commanders defensive end KJ Henry, Mayo said the 31-year-old quarterback “could have kept going.”
“I talked to him, but we’ll see (Monday),” Mayo said of Brissett, who threw for 36 yards and an interception this preseason. “But he said he was good.”
If the Patriots decide to give Maye the job, the rookie believes he “would feel ready.”
“I think I’m ready for whatever this football team asks of me, and I’m ready to go out there and try to help us beat the Bengals in Week 1,” Maye said, according to NFL.com.
The Bengals host the Patriots on Sunday, September 8, at 1 p.m.
