Rob Gronkowski, beat writer address if Patriots should start Drake Maye

Even before the New England Patriots fell to 1-3 on the season via Sunday's 30-13 loss at the San Francisco 49ers, some suggested that first-year head coach Jerod Mayo could replace starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett with rookie Drake Maye for New England's Week 5 home game versus the Miami Dolphins this coming Sunday.

While speaking during Fox's studio halftime show, Patriots legend and future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski warned his former club about going to Maye at this point of the season.

"New England Patriots fans, I know what you're saying. 'Put Drake Maye in, this offense needs a spark,'" Gronkowski said, as shared by Gio Rivera of NESN. "But I'm telling you, it will be the same old story with Drake Maye in if he replaces Jacoby Brissett. He'll be getting sacked. The offensive line will be letting guys go through, putting pressure on him. You don't want to ruin his confidence. Wait until at least Week 12."

The Patriots play at the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 on Nov. 24.

It's widely believed that Mayo not wanting Maye to repeatedly absorb punishment while playing behind a woeful offensive line is a big reason the third overall pick of this year's draft has spent the bulk of his rookie season as a spectator. With that said, Brissett fumbled the ball three times at San Francisco's Levi's Stadium and has New England responsible for arguably the league's worst offense.

According to ESPN stats, the Patriots began Monday ranked second to last in the NFL with an average of 13.0 points scored per game this season. Meanwhile, Pro Football Reference shows that Brissett ended the weekend ranked 22nd in the league with a 43.8 adjusted QBR and 32nd with an average of 134.0 passing yards per contest.

Per Nick O'Malley of MassLive, Mayo said after the loss to San Francisco that "Jacoby is our starting quarterback" as of "this point." For a piece published Monday, Patriots beat writer Chad Graff of The Athletic explained why he feels Mayo should reconsider that position.

"Brissett’s limitations are compounded by the holes on this roster," Graff wrote. "He’s not mobile in the way that Maye is, which makes him a sitting duck behind a bad and inexperienced offensive line. And he doesn’t have the arm strength Maye does, which hurts as defenses increasingly load the box against the Pats, daring them to win with downfield passes."

Graff added that he now feels "it’s time for Drake Maye to become the Patriots' starting quarterback."

If Brissett produces another dud versus Miami, Mayo theoretically could get Maye ready to start New England's Week 6 home game against the Houston Texans (3-1) on Oct. 13. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Patriots as one-point underdogs for the matchup against the Dolphins.