The New England Patriots may have to make a decision about their future far sooner than planned. The team has new rules after firing Bill Belichick and will also have a new quarterback for this season. The question is, who will it be?
There is real competition among the quarterbacks at the New England Patriots
The team brought in Jacoby Brissett with the intention of letting him play while their No. 3 pick Drake Maye developed as a junior. The general sentiment throughout most of the offseason was that the experienced Brissett would be the Week 1 starter and Maye would take his time filling that role.
However, new head coach Jerod Mayo walked back that statement after the last preseason game, saying it’s a real competition right now. He didn’t reveal who would start in Week 1, only that it could be either Brissett or Maye.
“For me, it’s always about competition, and that goes for all positions,” Mayo said after the Patriots’ loss to the Eagles on Thursday night.
“Even if Drake beats Jacoby (Brissett), he’s earned that role… If he’s ready and better than Jacoby, he’ll play; he’ll play from the start.”
Maye has made steady progress in the offseason, but still has a lot of work to do to become a successful quarterback in the NFL. Brissett, however, has not looked like a veteran and has made mistakes in practice and the preseason.
Drake Maye is getting closer to starting Week 1
While the team’s original plan was to wait longer to see how Maye developed, they’re singing a new tune now. Maye will start as soon as he’s ready. He got more reps in Week 2 of the preseason and took advantage of that to show off his athleticism with his feet and arms.
“It was always the plan to let him play more,” Mayo said after the game about Mayes’ increased snap count.
“The plan was to let him play in the third quarter so we could make some of those adjustments and see if he could handle it, and he has.”
Maye delivered a beautiful long ball to fellow rookie Jevon Baker, but Baker was unable to hold onto it. While Maye still has many elements of his game to work on and refine, his natural ability also gives plenty of cause for optimism.
Maye has always said the right things since being drafted and now he just wants to show what he’s capable of and prove himself to the men in the locker room.
“I think every time you go out there you get more confident,” he told reporters after the loss to Philadelphia.
“Other than that, more reps will only help me. At the end of the day, I’m just happy that I can go out there and get some reps and make the most of my opportunities.”
We’ll have to wait and see what the next three weeks bring and what the coaching staff decides to do once the season begins. Putting a 21-year-old quarterback in the firing line wouldn’t be the smartest decision in the world, but if he’s easily the best quarterback in the building, they may not make a decision on the matter.
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