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The New England Patriots quarterback situation has been the biggest topic of discussion surrounding this team over the past few months. During the offseason, the team traded Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency, and used the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on Drake Maye.
As is always the case when you use one of the top picks in the draft on a quarterback, there's pressure on the team to immediately start him. Typically if you are using the third overall pick on a quarterback, you feel pretty good about their prospects when it comes to becoming a star, and there's never been any indication that that isn't the way the Patriots feel about Maye.
And yet, with the signing of Brissett, it seemed like the plan was always to let Maye initially backup the veteran passer in an effort to let him develop behind the scenes. And even though it appears as the gap between Brissett and Maye is smaller than many fans initially expected, it's clear that New England needs to make Brissett their Week 1 starter.
Patriots have nothing to gain by starting Drake Maye over Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are the only two teams across the league who yet to announce who their starting quarterback will be this season. Right off the bat, that will lead fans to believe that there's a real shot for Maye to start over Brissett. Throughout the offseason and training camp, it's been made clear that Brissett is leading the way, but the door has been left open for Maye.
Would it be fun to see what Maye can accomplish as a rookie? Sure, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's in the team's best interests to immediately throw him into the fire. Heck, he could be better than Brissett, and that still would ring true. The main reason; simply put, the rest of New England's offense is not good.
The Pats biggest issue throughout training camp and preseason play has been their offensive line. They don't really have a left tackle, despite it being one of the biggest needs to address this offseason, and their depth, particularly at center, is thin. Sticking Maye under center would be like throwing him in a den of lions, especially against teams with a ferocious pass rush.
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Even when you have time to throw the ball, New England's pass-catching corps is not good. There are decent names, like Kendrick Bourne, Demario Douglas, and Hunter Henry, but there's no truly great option that this team's quarterback can consistently rely on. That's not exactly a good thing for a rookie quarterback who is trying to find his footing in the NFL.
The allure of seeing Maye under center is understandable, but there is literally nothing to gain from playing him right from the get go. It'd be one thing if this team could potentially contend for a playoff spot, but that's not going to happen. It'd be another thing if their offense was ready to support him, but that's also not the case right now.
Could Maye excel if the coaching staff deems him to be the winner of his competition with Brissett? Of course he could, and he certainly has the talent to do so. But he's still a raw player in a lot of aspects, and after watching Bill Belichick and the previous coaching staff completely break Mac Jones, there should be an incentive to take things slow with Maye and make sure it works out.
Allowing him to sit on the sidelines, develop behind the scenes, and get comfortable in the NFL first should be the priority. Playing him over Brissett isn't going to radically change the course of the 2024 campaign, as the Patriots are going to be bad one way or another. The goal is to ensure that they will be successful in future seasons, and starting Maye right away doesn't necessarily guarantee that will happen.
Of course, there's no guarantee that letting him sit behind Brissett in his first year is going to work either, but when picking between the two options, it seems like the safer choice. As we just saw with Jones, developing a quarterback is an incredibly tricky thing to do, and considering how poorly things went for him in this offense, you'd figure that they would want to give Maye a bit of help before getting him on the field.
Getting NFL experience is important, but doing so when you actually have a chance to succeed is also quite important. Right now, Maye's chance of succeeding a rookie on this team seems very slim, which is why playing Brissett makes the most sense. Chances are, Maye will take the field at some point this season, but that time shouldn't be Week 1, as the only sensible choice for New England is to begin their season with Brissett under center.
