Everyone knows by now that Jerod Mayo has taken over for legendary coach Bill Belichick.
And Drake Maye landed as the No. 3 overall pick, another New England bite at the would-be franchise QB apple in the post-Tom Brady real world.
It’s a new beginning and new era in New England.
And, yet, during his pre-training camp press conference at Gillette Stadium Mayo made it clear that the hopeful future hasn’t quite yet arrived in Foxborough.
First, the 36-year-old, first-time coach openly and definitively declared that after his first spring of OTA and mini-camp leadership action that journeyman veteran Jacoby Brissett is the starting quarterback for the Patriots, at least until proven otherwise.
“Coming out of the spring, I don’t think there’s any doubt Jacoby is the starting quarterback at this point in time,” Mayo said. “Coming out of the spring, I think it’s clear that Jacoby is the most pro-ready guy we have. He’s played a lot of football.”
Maye is the unquestioned future of the team and the franchise. But, he’s not yet the present.
And in some ways that bridge mentality transcends to the rest of the team. Obviously Mayo wants to win more than the four games New England came out on top in during Belichick’s final dismal season on the sideline. The former linebacker-turned-coach even actually guaranteed on a radio appearance this winter that more wins would come in 2024.
Yet objective analysis from afar has many media outlets picking the Patriots to win just three games. Vegas odds makers have set the win total number at 4.5.
It’s an unsettling reality for fan base that’s four-plus years removed from Brady’s free agent exodus, but that reality may be settling in that New England is going to very much struggle to win games this fall.
That was evident when Mayo was asked how he himself would define a successful season.
“A successful season, in my eyes, is really about the foundation.” Mayo said. “Have we put together a good foundation of a combination of young and older players to really start competing? It would be great to get up here and say we’re going to win a Super Bowl, but once again, it’s about the process. I tell the guys all the time, it’s about process and progress and moving forward.”
So essentially a successful 2024 season is about setting the team up for future successes, not necessarily winning games this time around. It’s about competing, a word that Mayo used many times throughout his latest chatty meeting with the media.
Mayo knows it. His players know it. Winning is still the long term goal, but not necessarily a likely short term reality.
“Obviously we’re trying to build something,” longtime center David Andrews said. “And start something new here. But each year, no matter what, feels different. Different challenges. Different hurdles. Everyone’s got a clean slate. Everyone’s got a fresh start in the whole organization. You get to write your story. And eventually we’ll write our team story.”
“It’s a new page,” veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones said. “The story will write itself. Just keep showing up and continue to go.”
Eventually, when addressing those who’ll hopefully invest both time and interest in his team, Mayo acknowledged that at some point he and his players – most specifically Maye – will be judged by the scoreboard.
“My message to the fans is it's all about winning football games. That's what it comes down to. It comes down to winning football games, no matter what the expectation is from everyone outside this building,” Mayo said, mixing his messages just a bit. “We're going to go to work each and every day, and we're going to get better. We're going to put a good product, a good team out there on the field that you'll be proud of. Now, whether that's tomorrow or next year, I don't know.”
The future is coming to New England. And hopefully it’s a bright one, even if it’s not quite up to the decades long dynasty that redefined greatness in the NFL.
But the future is not here yet. Maye isn’t yet the starting quarterback and Mayo isn’t yet willing to measure success based on winning and losing.
But those days will come. Hopefully sooner rather than later on both fronts.
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