He told reporters that Maye was making progress and looking more and more impressive.
“This guy comes early and leaves late,” Mayo said. “He’s one of those guys every day and he’s done a great job. I would also say the coaches have done a good job of meeting with him one-on-one and making sure he’s comfortable playing his team. He’s definitely getting better.”
Since the Patriots’ offseason program began, Brissett has been the team’s QB1, but with no announcement that he would be QB1 when it matters most: in the regular season.
Brissett would presumably begin the season as the starter, giving Maye more time to settle in before potentially taking over later in the season – especially if New England gets into trouble.
“I still consider myself a starter,” Brissett said Monday.
However, Maye has made great strides in this process and gained support.
Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is the Patriots’ quarterback of the future. How quickly New England will achieve that future remains to be seen, but it is clearly getting closer.
“He’s made some good shots and I’d say his teammates can see his confidence growing as well,” Mayo said. “Hopefully it’s only uphill from here.”
Whether from the media or Patriots fans, the noise surrounding Mayes’ game is only going to get louder.
Brissett, however, is not worried about that. He can’t afford it.
“I can’t worry about that, I just go out there and do my job,” Brissett said. “I’ve been in this league long enough and a lot of crazy things have happened in my career so far and nothing would shock me. But at the same time, man, I’m enjoying this process, just doing my best and letting things go the way they go.”
The battle for the quarterback position at the Minnesota Vikings was decided in a catastrophic way when first-round rookie JJ McCarthy was out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, automatically giving the job to Sam Darnold.
Next up was the QB1 spot for the Las Vegas Raiders, which Gardner Minshew won ahead of Aidan O’Connell.
That decision was announced on Sunday, and then on Monday it was a no-brainer for the Washington Commanders when head coach Dan Quinn stated the obvious and selected No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels as the starter over the experienced Marcus Mariota.
There are still decisions to be made for the Denver Broncos, with Bo Nix, the No. 12 pick, getting a lot of praise as he tries to get the better of Jarrett Stidham, as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers, who didn’t have Russell Wilson or Justin Fields looking good last week, and of course the Pats.
New England will play its final preseason game against the Commanders on Sunday.
After a brief appearance in the preseason, Maye was used more frequently on Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. In two preseason games, he has completed 6 of 11 passes for 47 yards and a rushing touchdown. Brissett, who also played little in the opener, was unable to shine even in limited time, completing 3 of 7 passes for 17 yards with an interception.
There are still a few weeks of training left and a potentially crucial warm-up game that Mayo must decide.
Will the Patriots open the season with the experienced Brissett or is Maye just too good and too promising to leave on the bench? We’ll see.
