The New England Patriots’ quarterback situation has been the biggest topic of discussion surrounding this team in recent months. In the offseason, the team traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed Jacoby Brissett as a free agent, and selected Drake Maye with the third pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
As always, when you use one of the top picks in the draft on a quarterback, the pressure is on the team to use him right away. When you use the third pick overall on a quarterback, you usually feel good about his prospects of becoming a star, and there was never any indication that the Patriots didn’t feel that way about Maye.
And yet, when Brissett was signed, it always seemed like the plan was to initially use Maye as a backup to the veteran passer, letting him develop behind the scenes. And while it seems like the gap between Brissett and Maye is smaller than many fans initially expected, it’s clear that New England needs to make Brissett their starter in Week 1.
Patriots have nothing to gain by fielding Drake Maye instead of Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are the only two teams in the league that have not yet announced who their starting quarterback will be this season. This immediately leads fans to believe that Maye has a real chance to start ahead of Brissett. During the offseason and training camp, it became clear that Brissett would take the lead, but the door was left open for Maye.
Would it be exciting to see what Maye can do as a rookie? Sure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s in the team’s best interest to throw him in at the deep end right away. He might even be better than Brissett, and that would still be true. The main reason is simply that the rest of New England’s offense isn’t good.
The Pats’ biggest problem throughout training camp and preseason has been their offensive line. They don’t really have a left tackle, even though that’s one of their biggest challenges this season, and their depth, especially at center, is thin. Putting Maye under center would be like throwing him into a lion’s den, especially against teams with a ferocious pass rush.
Even when given time to throw the ball, New England’s pass-catching corps isn’t good. There are good names like Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas and Hunter Henry, but there isn’t a really good option that this team’s quarterback can rely on consistently. That’s not exactly a good thing for a rookie quarterback trying to find his footing in the NFL.
The appeal of seeing Maye at quarterback is understandable, but there’s literally no point in having him play from the start. It would be one thing if this team could potentially contend for a playoff spot, but that’s not going to happen. It would be another thing if their offense was ready to support him, but that’s not the case right now either.
Related newsArticle continues below
Could Maye shine if the coaching staff views him as the winner of his competition with Brissett? Of course he could, and he certainly has the talent to do so. But he’s still an inexperienced player in many aspects, and after Bill Belichick and the previous coaching staff completely destroyed Mac Jones, there should be an incentive to take it slow with Maye and make sure it works out.
Allowing him to sit on the bench, develop behind the scenes, and get comfortable in the NFL initially should be the priority. Putting him in place of Brissett won’t radically change the course of the 2024 season, as the Patriots will be bad either way. The goal is to ensure they will be successful in future seasons, and putting Maye in right from the start doesn’t necessarily guarantee that will happen.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that sitting him behind Brissett his first year will work either, but if you’re choosing between the two options, it seems like the safer choice. As we just saw with Jones, developing a quarterback is an incredibly difficult proposition, and considering how poorly he’s been in this offense, you’d think they’d want to give Maye a little help before putting him on the field.
Getting NFL experience is important, but it’s also important to do it when you actually have a chance to succeed. Right now, Maye’s chance of succeeding as a rookie on this team seems very slim, which is why letting Brissett play makes the most sense. Chances are Maye will be on the field at some point this season, but that time shouldn’t be in Week 1, as the only reasonable choice for New England is to start the season with Brissett at quarterback.
