Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo hinting at rookie gunslinger Drake Maye as QB1?

New England Patriots fans should feel a lot better when it comes to Drake Maye after seeing some positive things on the field in the team’s second preseason game.  In fact, fans should be optimistic and remain hopeful he could be the man under center come Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season.

Selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the debate since the draft has been whether the Patriots should sit him or throw him in the fire right away.  With an unstable offensive line and a failure to inject game-changing talent around him, the decision to go with Jacoby Brissett over the rookie seemed like an easy one for first-time head coach Jerod Mayo.  But it’s not really playing out that way.

Despite a slow start in camp, Maye has been coming along.  He showed signs in the team’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.  In that game, he showed off his athleticism by scrambling out of the pocket and dazzled the Gillette Stadium crowd with a keeper into the end zone.

The most telling play was a deep bomb to Javon Baker that was a dime.  If the rookie wide receiver held onto the ball, it would’ve been the highlight of the preseason.  Heck, it was still a highlight, and a reason Maye still has a chance to be the Day 1 starter.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo keeping the Maye vs Brissett QB competition open

To Mayo’s credit, he has never shut the door on the possibility, but with Maye’s progression combined with Brissett’s struggles, there’s a possibility of a Maye vs. Joe Burrow opening day matchup.

In talking about the North Carolina product following the Thursday night preseason game, Mayo was asked about the team utilizing plays and formations Maye was comfortable with.  The Patriots coach seemed more than satisfied in his response.

“It's very important to do those things,” Mayo said, via the team’s official website. “Like you said, he did it in college. And the problem is from college to here is just the language. Once you can start to link the language that you learned in college to the language you're learning right now, the game becomes a little bit easier from an Xs and Os perspective. I look forward to see how he builds off of today. But he did a lot of good things.”

He also showed composure in the pocket which is one of the things Mayo also praised.  He also continued to use the word “competition” which keeps that door open of Maye starting sooner rather than later if he continues to build off his progress both in practice and what he showed in the game against the Eagles, a game in which he showed he can make plays for himself with the scramble out of the pocket and the quarterback keeper into the end zone.  Could those be factors in Mayo going with Maye? 

“For me, we always talk about competition, and that’s at all spots,” Mayo said.  “So even if Drake beats out Jacoby [Brissett], I mean, he earned that role.  And we don’t really that that into consideration when he’s ready to go, and if he’s better than Jacoby, then he’ll play; he’ll start.”

In game action Maye has looked better, but it was just a small sample.  With Mayo’s comments and lack of commitment to sticking with Brissett, it seems the No. 3 overall pick has done enough to at least change the narrative a bit.  If you are a Patriots fan, that hope is still alive.  If he gets more comfortable and make eye-opening plays in the next three weeks before the season starts, then starting Maye will not only be an easy decision for Mayo, but the right decision.