The message from the New England Patriots has been very clear in the months since they selected Drake Maye with the third pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The organization would exercise patience, ease the young quarterback in slowly and do everything it could to put him in a position to succeed. Most interpreted that message as a flashing neon sign that Maye wouldn’t play much in his first year, a sentiment echoed by head coach Jerod Mayo, who told reporters before training camp there was no doubt veteran Jacoby Brissett would have the starting job.
A month later everything has changed.
The Pats keep telling the public that they’re playing with Maye for the long haul and there’s no reason to throw him in the deep end before he’s ready. But on Monday, after New England’s second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Mayo acknowledged that Maye could very well be in the middle of the pack in Week 1, as the team currently has no starting quarterback.
“One hundred percent,” Mayo said in an interview with The Greg Hill Show when asked if Maye could start right away. “We’re still in training camp. We still have a warm-up game against Washington. Again, we don’t have a starting quarterback at the moment. When the time comes, we’ll announce it. He could well be QB1. Jacoby too. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.”
Could Drake Maye be the #Patriots Starting QB at the beginning of the season?
Jerod Mayo believes so.
“100%… we don’t have a starting quarterback right now. When the time comes, we’ll announce it. But he could very well be QB1, just like Jacoby. We’ll just have to wait and see how it goes.”
What… pic.twitter.com/HehZqRCT5u
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) 19 August 2024
One could probably write this off as just coach talk designed to motivate the experienced Brissett as important games approach. Still, it’s notable because a month ago Mayo said Brissett was the unquestionable starter. The above quote doesn’t mean he’s lost the job, and Mayo said a few days ago he plans to give the starting spot to the best quarterback, no matter who it ends up being. Still, in July, the Patriots had a starter. Now they don’t.
Brissett, a veteran quarterback who has played for five NFL teams in eight seasons, played very little in New England’s first preseason game (like Maye) before getting some play in Saturday’s game against the Eagles. He wasn’t particularly good, completing three of seven passes and throwing a terrible interception in the end zone. Of course, it’s preseason, but it’s probably not the sign the Pats coaches were hoping for that Brissett was undoubtedly the right choice.
Maye, on the other hand, wowed fans with his first big snaps in the NFL, completing 6 of 11 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Again, one has to be cautious when drawing conclusions from preseason play, but the glimpses of Maye’s talent and athleticism provided a stark contrast to Brissett’s one brutal mistake.
Still, given that the Patriots are shaping up to be one of the worst teams in the league, especially after the trade of Matthew Judon, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Maye sit on the bench and Brissett take the beating behind arguably the worst offensive line in the NFL. But Mayo’s admission here could well prove to be a sign that the tide is turning in the rookie’s favor.
