NFL insider reveals what’s required for Drake Maye to become New England Patriots starting QB

The first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft have already been announced as their team’s starting quarterbacks. For Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, they’ve shown enough. But we’re still waiting to learn whether Drake Maye will become the New England Patriots’ starting QB.

In fairness, the Bears didn’t do anything to form a legitimate competition at QB. Tyson Bagent, an undrafted second-year pro, is Chicago’s backup. In Washington, it’s Marcus Mariota, but he didn’t draw any starts last year and even lost his starting job in Atlanta in 2022.

The story is a bit different in New England who prioritized adding a legitimate backup in Jacoby Brissett, who also didn’t start last year, but performed well in 2022 with Cleveland. Of the trio, only New England has a viable starter, which means Maye truly has to fight to win the job. Now we may know just what it will take for Jerod Mayo to anoint Maye as the starter.

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Landing New England Patriots’ starting QB job is up to Drake Maye

Typically, quarterbacks taken in the top five become starting quarterbacks at some point as a rookie. Some earn the job earlier than others, whereas some are kind of given the job, with no other competition stepping forward or existing on the roster.

Drake Maye is coming off an impressive Week 2 preseason performance that saw him flash his arm talent while adding a touchdown run. Meanwhile, Jacoby Brissett made a critical mistake, throwing a red zone interception . It was just one game, but Maye looked more ready to lead a productive offense than Brissett did.

Yet, the Patriots still haven’t named a starting QB for Week 1, which leaves the door open for Maye to snag the job. But what does he still need to show the coaching staff? Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer may have just revealed the recipe.

“The New England Patriots’ plan has been for Jacoby Brissett to at least start the season as the quarterback, and for Drake Maye to serve an apprenticeship that could wind up being a full redshirt year. As I see it, two things could shake that up. One, of course, would be Maye showing he’s not just the best option, but prepared to deal with being a week-in, week-out starting quarterback without the rigors of the season messing with his development. There’s a mental component to that and a mechanical component, too.

Two would be if Brissett, who’s beloved by teammates and the perfect guy to help a younger quarterback, shows he can’t move the offense more effectively, and with better tempo, than he has. He made a brutal decision in the red zone against the Philadelphia Eagles, and the offense isn’t running as smoothly as anyone would like behind either quarterback. Brissett’s a vet, so it’s fair to assume he’ll come out of what’s been a rough patch the past week or so. But the fact that it’s coincided with Maye’s steady progress starting to bear results at least makes things interesting. What the coaches really like about where Maye is now showed up last Thursday against Philly, where he showed he was calm and under control in the cockpit.”

SI’s Albert Breer on New England Patriots QB competition

It’s only a matter of time before Maye earns the starting job. It could happen by Week 1, or it could happen if/when Brissett struggles. The challenge for New England is not making the move too early or too late if they want to compete this year.

On one hand, the Patriots can’t start Maye, and then pull him if/when he struggles. That only shatters their 21-year-old’s confidence. It makes more sense to hand the job to Brissett and pull the plug if things go awry. That’s only if Brissett is truly better than Maye. But the Patriots can’t really do the same if they start Maye and go back and forth to Brissett because that won’t win over a locker room or inspire confidence either. Ultimately, the Patriots have a tough decision to make.

Related: See where Drake Maye lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB Rankings

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