In a press conference yesterday, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo announced that he made his choice for his team’s QB1. “I have decided, that Jacoby Brissett will be our starting quarterback this season, in saying that, as an organization, we are 100% behind Jacoby. There is no ‘You got a guy right here, you got a guy right there.’ We’re 100% behind Jacoby,” he told the media.
This decision comes after months of competition between Brissett and rookie QB Drake Maye. Maye was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after throwing for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdown passes in his sophomore season at the University of North Carolina. Most people expected him to win the job over a “bridge quarterback” like Brissett, especially after his final preseason performance where Maye went 13/20 for 126 yards and a touchdown.
Maye was clearly disappointed by the news but told reporters this would not affect his day-to-day work ethic. “I don’t think anything’s changed you know, I came in here in this camp working and studying hard to be the starter and I don’t think that’s gonna change. I’m still one play away, so got to be ready for all circumstances and here to help Jacoby and keep the vibes in the quarterback room up, because you know nothing is going to change…I’m still rooting for him and cheering for him,” he said.
Mayo did not specify whether or not this decision would be for the whole season or just for a few weeks until Maye gets a better hold of the offense. Yet when asked about this he seemed pretty firm about keeping Jacoby Brissett under center all year long. “We can’t go into the season saying, ‘He’s going to go “x” amount of weeks.’ As long as Jacoby is going out there performing the way we all have confidence in him doing, he’ll be our quarterback this season,” he said. This could very well be a smokescreen often used by coaches around the league. But considering New England’s lack of offensive talent, specifically the offensive line, it may not be the worst idea to let Maye sit out a season and not take those hits.
As of now, Maye is listed as the backup to an injury-prone Brissett, meaning he is truly one play away from making his NFL debut. The Patriots are set to face off against the Bengals in their first game of the 2024 season on September 8th at 1 p.m.
