Jacoby Brissett There’s really no chance.
The New England Patriots selected Drake Maye ranked 3rd overall 2024 NFL Draft. They consider him the face of their franchise. But the current plan is not to push him into action. That’s something the Patriots made clear to Maye before recruiting him.
“They asked me [how I would feel not starting] in front of a lot of coaches,” Maye told reporters. “I’ll be prepared and ready to be the starter, but at the same time, you know that as a young guy coming in there, it’s that is not given to you. You have to earn it. … My job is to go in there, earn everyone’s respect, help whoever is the starter, if I’m not the best player I can be and help this team win.
Maye’s advantages are huge. He’s a prospect with size (6-foot-4, 230 pounds), arm speed, mobility and athleticism that most of his NFL peers don’t have. What do those elite professional QBs have that Maye doesn’t? Understanding of attack and defense plans as well as mastery of attack situations.
That’s why an AFC executive told me before the draft that he believed Maye should sit the entire season before starting.
“We’re not sitting here saying Drake is our starting quarterback. I think he understands that. He understands the things he has to improve on,” new Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said after the Round 1 of the draft. “You can talk about potential if you want. Until you achieve it, it really doesn’t matter. We already know that man; we know that man is a hard worker and he will do everything he can to succeed.”
While chief executive Eliot Wolf, Mayo and Maye all preached patience in the early days, it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to keep Maye out of the starting rotation when his physical tools helping him eclipse Brissett on the depth chart.
I understand why some people think Brissett can keep Maye. I don’t buy it. This concept originates from Wolf’s history.
Along with spending four seasons under Bill Belichick and the Patriots, Wolf spent 15 years with the team. Packer and two years with brown. That time in Green Bay was formative. Wolf witnessed the Packers draft and save Aaron Rodgers24th overall pick in 2005. And after Wolf left Green Bay, the Packers did the same with Jordan love.
Wolf could very well follow that model. “We are a drafting and development group,” he said in a pre-draft press conference.
The Patriots thrived in their first NFL Draft without Bill Belichick
Of course, the problem comes back to the Brissett value. He’s no Brett Favre or Rodgers. Brissett is right on top as the starter and backup journeyman.
He’s done a great job carrying some offenses around the NFL. But he never really advanced one. He is the safety conductor, simply keeping the train running and on the tracks. He will not adjust the train to go full speed ahead. There was no evidence of that at any point in his career – not over many games.
But the Patriots insist he can and will compete with Maye for the starting job. Brissett has experience in offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s offense. But it was also a meaningful insult to Maye.
It’s unrealistic to expect Brissett to hold off someone like Maye. Even when he’s not ready, he will make plays that make him an attractive and exciting option for the starting lineup. The message is not wrong either. The Patriots are smart to fuel the rivalry with a team that went 4-13 last season. They were smart to test Maye with a bit of adversity early on. It was absolutely the right thing to say and do. But New England didn’t just take Maye third overall because he’s a project. They have got Tennessee QB Joe Milton in the seventh round of this year’s draft because of him reallyyour project — so much so that some thought he would eventually play another position in the NFL.
Maye can play. He will make mistakes, but in a season where the Patriots are aiming for .500 rather than a playoff run, those mistakes can serve as teaching moments. The only hesitation from New England is their willingness to back a young quarterback.
Some would say this is the worst offense in the NFL for the quarterback.
“I think they were wrong,” Maye said. “Last year’s defense held a lot of teams to low scores and I’m looking forward to helping in any way offensively.”
I’ll try to keep quiet about the defense only tangentially supporting a midfielder.
But I will say that the Patriots have addressed the offensive line and the receiver position — albeit in a less flashy way than many expected, given the Patriots entered the offseason with a massive amount of cash.
On offense, New England let Trent Brown walk in free agency and put in instead Chukwuma Okorafor, a correct move in his career. The Patriots retain the guard/tackle Michael Onwenu. And then New England outlined the solution Caedan Wallace and protect Layden Robinson. It’s an overhaul – but maybe not a specific upgrade.
As for receivers, the Patriots quarterback will have Kendrick Bourne, KJ Osborn, Demario Douglas and rookies Ja’Lynn Polk (round two) and Javon Baker (fourth round). That’s probably the position where there’s clearly been some progress, even though the new recruits aren’t allowed to contribute. Tight end Hunter Henry returned as a free agent and Austin Hooper has joined the team. That place seems solid.
Run again Rhamondre Stevenson will be Maye’s best friend, both a target man from the back of the field and a powerful runner that draws defenders into the box.
It was enough to give Maye a healthy space to grow. It may not be an elite offense, and the left tackle position is certainly uncertain. But in a year focused on development, that’s the type of offense that can’t hurt Maye. After all, he is a player who caught Wolf’s attention for creating North CarolinaOffense of function within a year of turnover.
“Not to take anything away from anyone else in the program, but the game is on his shoulders for them,” Wolf said. “They’ve got some talented players, talented backs and receivers, but he’s really been able to elevate them and mold them into what they can become.”
It sounds like a familiar story.
It looks like what Maye will have to do in New England.
Starting Week 1, there’s no doubt.
Before joining FOX Sports as AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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