Training camp and preseason are over and the regular season begins in less than two weeks. In the next few days, the New England Patriots have some important decisions to make. One of the most important is who will be nominated as starting quarterback: the experienced Jacoby Brissett or the rookie Drake Maye.
As of Monday morning, Jerod Mayo was not yet ready to make that announcement. However, he appeared on WEEI’s The Greg Hill ShowThe head coach gave a kind of status update in the first year.
“It’s a real competition. And I would say at this point, Drake has surpassed Jacoby,” he said.
Mayo went on to explain that there was no specific point when the tide began to turn in the rookie passer’s favor. He mentioned Maye’s comfort level on offense and chemistry with his teammates as two areas where he has shown significant improvement, especially in the last few weeks.
However, that does not mean that the young challenger will play as the starting quarterback in the season opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 8. According to Mayo, the team remains focused on sticking to the development plan that was designed for Maye when he arrived in New England.
In addition, numerous factors are taken into account when making this specific decision.
“Everyone wants to know who the starter is going to be. I think there are several factors that have to go into that decision,” Mayo explained later Monday during a media conference.
“One is the overall body of work, whether we’re talking about the spring or the entire training camp. I would also say that you often forget the overall experience of a guy like Jacoby, which will also play a role in the decision we have to make here in the near future. But I’m happy with the way these guys are battling, and hopefully in the next few days we can name a starter and get the season rolling.”
The Patriots signed both Brissett and Maye earlier this offseason, with the former receiving a one-year contract as a free agent while the latter was selected third overall in the NFL Draft.
Given his draft status, Maye is the future of the franchise. Whether that future begins as early as 2024 remains to be seen, but the option still seems to be on the table.
