Drake Maye’s mixed bag Day 3, Davon Godchaux wants ‘some respect’

Two of the biggest storylines from Patriots Training Camp have been the play of rookie quarterback Drake Maye, and the contract kerfuffle of Davon Godchaux.

We heard from both players on Friday, with Godchaux’s media appearance coming impromptu.

This is the second time in three days we have seen an impromptu media appearance from a player wanting a new contract, as Matthew Judon went to the mic after day one on Wednesday .

It’s a whole new world at Gillette Stadium, and head coach Jerod Mayo supports it.

“I’m good with it,” said Mayo when asked about Judon’s unplanned comments during his pre-practice media availability. “I don’t want to put a cap on - you know, if the guy feels a certain type of way, he has that privilege to come out here and tell you guys how he feels. I have to respect it no matter what.

“At some point in time, there’s going to be a player that comes up here and says, ‘You know what? I hate Coach Jerod! I hate Mayo!’ And look, that’s how they feel, and I respect that. I know we wanted to keep as much stuff in-house, but there will be times where they come out here and express themselves and I think it’s good.”

So with the unofficial blessing of his head coach, Godchaux stepped to the mic after practice Friday to talk about the frustrations surrounding his current contract situation.

“I mean, it’s frustrating,” said Godchaux. “Frustrated playing on, you know, out here with no guaranteed money.

“Obviously it’s a passing league. A lot of guys get paid good money for the pass rush. I respect it, but at the end of the day I feel like you got to be able to stop the run to get to the pass rush. And I think that’s what people overlook.”

Godchaux said that he’s been “consistent” throughout his seven seasons as a professional, and feels like he is still in his prime. He said that he should “be rewarded like that.”

This is the final year of Godchaux’s deal. He’s owed $7.15 million this season, and has a cap hit of $11.8 million. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season, but he made it clear on Friday that he wants to be in New England for the long term.

“I’d love to retire here,” said Godchaux. “I’ve got a lot more years in me - I’m 29. Obviously Vince [Wilfork] played a long time, I feel I could play just as long as him, even longer. So you know, I’m excited. I would love to be here, I would love to retire here, my family loves it here. It’s football heaven here, with the greatest of all-time playing here. So I would love to be here but at the end of the day, it’s a business.

“I just want some respect.”

Maye’s media availability had a much different tone, as the rookie quarterback is still finding his way in a pro style offense.

“[There’s] some plays where I think I’m doing a good job, and there’s some plays where, you know, I could do a better job,” said Maye. “So I’m just trying to make it where I’m not missing the read, or not getting through the read as quickly as I need to out here, more than one time in a row.”

It was a mixed bag of a day for the number three overall pick, and it was an 11-on-11 period towards the end of practice that was a perfect microcosm of the day he had.

The peak was a perfect deep ball up the sideline to rookie wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk off of play action. Polk was blanketed by defensive backs, and Maye put the ball where only his receiver could catch it, in stride.

The crowd went wild. It was his highlight of the day.

The valley, however, came just a few plays later.

Maye, flustered by pressure in the pocket, threw a bad ball that was picked off by Judon. The veteran pass rusher took the ball to the house for a pick-six.

“Just a rookie mistake, no pun intended,” said Maye of the interception. “You know, had a deep shot. And I was going to throw the flat late. And, you know, in this league they’re going to cover the running back, so you got to make sure you look out there before you throw it.”

Veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been a hype man for Maye through three days of camp, visibly cheering him on and celebrating with him after big plays. He told the media that Maye has done a good job of handling the valleys of his rookie camp “like a professional.”

“Those are the learning curves, and the NFL moments that you need out here,” said Brissett. “And that’s what I told him, ‘That’s the game right there. That was your game today, you know? You went out there, and [the defense] won the day.’ So just little things like that, that you go out and do everyday.”

Maye knows that mistakes are going to be a part of this growth process.

“If I make the same mistake today as I did Wednesday, you know I’m not making any progress,” he said. “I’m trying to keep that balance, and just keep going at it. You know, you’re going to make mistakes out here, that’s what practices are for. So I just keep my head up and come back out there and sling it around.”

The Patriots players have the day off on Saturday, and will resume training camp on Sunday at 11 a.m.