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The quarterback battle with the New England Patriots has heated up as of late, with head coach Jerod Mayo leaving it as an open competition between veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye. In the second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Maye impressed for the Patriots, showcasing why he was selected with the No. 3 pick. Maye opened up on how he is approaching the battle that seems more up in the air than it did at the start of camp
“You know I'm just gonna take advantage of my opportunities, I think Jacoby (Brissett) has done a great job, he's a great player, great teammate,” Drake Maye said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN. “He's been repping with the ones the whole time, so I'm excited for him and just trying to take every advantage of the reps I do get and when I'm in there try to have some fun.”
Asked if Sunday night might be a final push to win the starting QB job, Drake Maye says his focus is to take advantage of any opportunity he gets while acknowledging that Jacoby Brissett has taken all the reps with the 1s and has been a great teammate to him. pic.twitter.com/vNE18KeJmn
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) August 21, 2024
There is still a prevailing thought that the Patriots will roll with Jacoby Brissett to start the season, in part due to the weakness of the offensive line. However, Jerod Mayo has kept his options open when talking about the starting quarterback role. New England will play its final preseason game on Saturday on the road against the Washington Commanders. It will be interesting to see if Brissett and Maye can make lasting impressions in that game, if both end up playing.
Should the Patriots name Drake Maye their starting quarterback?
Much of the argument against starting Maye is related to the Patriots' roster, as many believe that the surrounding cast is not equipped to properly support a rookie quarterback. Maye might have earned the starting job in other places, but this is a unique situation due to the roster and the rebuild the Patriots are in the middle of.
The other component of this is the Patriots' schedule, which is very tough to start off. New England will go on the road in Week 1 and play the Cincinnati Bengals. It would be tough to ask a rookie quarterback to go on the road and play a Super Bowl contender with an undermanned roster. Following that game, New England will play the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Jets again before a bit of a soft landing against what should be a weaker opponent in the Tennessee Titans.
Maye could just be ready to play right away, which would be a surprise, but sometimes that is the case with rookie quarterbacks. If he does not start Week 1 however, Patriots fans might be waiting a good amount of time before they see their No. 3 pick take the field.
