Among the many quarterback duels in the NFL, the New England Patriots are one that involves a star rookie and a migrant worker: Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. The latter has a confident self-image and it is likely that the Patriots will announce him as the starting quarterback one warmup before the opening game of Week 1.
Brissett has now been in the NFL for eight seasons, currently in his second season with New England. The first season was when he was selected 91st overall in the 2016 draft. Although Maye has impressed throughout the preseason, Brissett would clearly say he puts himself in the mindset “like I’m the starter,” according to NBC Sports.
“I still treat myself like I’m the starter,” Brissett told the media.
Jacoby Brissett talks about what he’s focusing on in the Patriots’ quarterback battle
However, there is obviously competition from Maye, who was selected third in the 2024 NFL Draft and has shown in spurts why he could be on the field sooner rather than later. On the other hand, Brissett said he “can’t worry about it” and the few aspects he is focused on are what he needs to do to be the starting quarterback while also being a good teammate, whether it be to Maye or others, according to Dan Roche.
“I can’t worry about that,” Brissett said. “I just go out there and do my job. 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, I’m enjoying this process, doing my best and just letting things go as they go. … I’m not really worried about the competition.”
“Every day I come here, I try to do my best,” Brissett continued. “Whether it was Day 1 or Day 39, I always try to go out there and do my best. I’m not too worried about the competition, I’m more worried about myself and being a good teammate.”
The competition for the Patriots quarterback is still uncertain
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo commented on the current state of the quarterback competition by saying that the team does not know who the winner is. He told the media that there is still more time to think about it as they still have one more preseason game and the moments before the regular season opener, according to NBC Sports.
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“We don’t know at the moment,” said Mayo. “We still have a warm-up game and then a week after that.”
One might think that Brissett will be the starter in Week 1 due to his immense experience in the league, as opposed to Maye, who could learn from the bench like many great quarterbacks. Even Brissett himself has said that Maye is “doing a good job,” according to Boston.com.
“He’s definitely making progress and doing a good job,” Brissett said of Maye.
Ahead of their first game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1, the Patriots will face the Washington Commanders next Saturday.
