Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo hints that Drake Maye will not be Week 1 starter

When the New England Patriots took former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft there was a clear plan in place by Jerod Mayo and the team to allow the rookie to sit and develop. As training camp and the preseason has played out however, Maye has looked like far and away the best quarterback on the Patriots’ roster which has forced Mayo to answer questions about which quarterback will be anointed as the starter week one of the regular season.

When Mayo was asked about the quarterback situation coming into the preseason finale after veteran Jacoby Brissett suffered a shoulder injury, Mayo said he would be comfortable with Maye being one Brissett injury from playing in two weeks but he made clear that he still views Maye as No. 2 quarterback on the roster, and has remained consistent in that messaging the entire preseason.

“He’s our second-best quarterback on our roster right now,” Mayo said of Maye.

Mayo said Brissett could have continued playing in the preseason finale despite his shoulder injury, and that the plan all along was to take him out after the first possession.

“That was the plan,” Mayo said. “He would’ve been able to continue.”

So while no official announcement has been made from Mayo, it certainly seems as though the team is preparing to trot out Brissett as their week one starter and allow their exciting rookie some more time to develop.