Patriots’ Coach Gives Update On Drake Maye’s Status In QB Battle

When the New England Patriots selected quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick of the NFL Draft in April, they knew it would be a process.

That’s why the Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency back in March.

Not that New England knew for sure it was going to select Maye a month in advance, but it surely knew it would be taking a quarterback, and having a veteran like Brissett in the fold definitely makes it easier to sit Maye early on.

That’s the path Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo appears to be taking, as he has made it abundantly clear that Brissett is first on the depth chart heading into 2024.

However, that does not mean Mayo won’t give Maye an opportunity to compete.

While speaking to the media this week, Mayo said that Maye will get some first-team reps at some point during training camp.

“It’s the second week of training camp,” Mayo said, via Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “We have a game here a week from now. He’ll have an opportunity to go out there and participate with, if you want to call them ‘The Ones,’ but we mix and match.”

Drake Maye has been a mixed bag in Patriots camp

While Maye has certainly shown some impressive flashes this summer, he has also reportedly had moments where he clearly looked like a rookie.

That’s to be expected, especially for someone as raw as Maye.

Still, Mayo thinks that the University of North Carolina product has handled it well.

“I would say all the rookies are battling through things,” Mayo said. “It’s a different scheme. It’s a different state. There’s just so much change for these guys. But what you want to see as those guys go through adversity, you want to see them handle it the right way. You don’t want to see the explosions on the sideline. You don’t want to see any of that. It’s all about the next page and turning the page, and that’s what I appreciate.”

Mayo added that Maye displayed “mental toughness and competitiveness” when he first met him and that “players enjoy working with him.”

It may be a while before we actually see Maye start a game on the NFL level, but there is no question that the Patriots view him as their quarterback of the future.

We’ll see if Drake Maye can ultimately be the Tom Brady successor that New England has been searching for.

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