Patriots Coach Sets The Record Straight On QB Drake Maye

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has made his thoughts on rookie quarterback Drake Maye pretty clear heading into training camp.

While discussing who will end up being the Patriots’ starting signal-caller for the 2024 NFL season, Mayo made it clear that Jacoby Brissett is the favorite.

“It’s clear Jacoby is the most pro ready,” Mayo said, via Ian Rapoport of NFL media .

Mayo left the door open for Maye to win the job, but as of right now, it looks like the No. 3 overall pick is a distant second to Brissett.

This does not come as too much of a surprise, as Mayo offered similar thoughts on Maye during rookie minicamp all the way back in the early spring.

At that point, Mayo said that Maye had a lot to work on, and everyone operated under the assumption that Mayo’s comments meant the first-year quarterback would begin 2024 on the bench.

The Patriots need to protect Drake Maye

Keeping Maye away from the field during his rookie campaign may end up being the best decision the Patriots will ever make for the youngster.

It’s obvious that Maye is very raw. Even going into the NFL Draft, many felt that the University of North Carolina product had mechanical issues that needed fixing.

The last thing New England wants is a repeat of the Mac Jones situation, so the Pats are surely going to treat Maye with kid gloves.

It should also be noted that the Patriots don’t exactly have an ideal offensive setup for Maye at the moment.

New England’s offense is a mess. Its offensive line has major holes, it doesn’t really have many proven weapons in the aerial attack, and while running back Rhamondre Stevenson did just land an extension, he wasn’t very productive in 2023.

That isn’t exactly a recipe for success for Maye, or any rookie signal-caller, for that matter.

Maye wasn’t all that impressive during his final season at North Carolina, either, as he threw for 3,608 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 63.3 percent of his passes.

That represented pretty significant regression from 2022, when Maye totaled 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven picks while completing 66.2 percent of his throws.

Taking all of that into consideration, the Patriots would be wise to take things slowly with Drake Maye. They need to protect their investment moving forward.

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