Jacoby Brissett remains atop the Patriots’ quarterback depth chart for the time being. It has long been assumed Drake Maye will take over the starting gig at some point in 2024, though, and the first-round rookie continues to draw praise. 
New England has been “very encouraged” by Maye’s progress so far, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston writes. This year’s No. 3 pick had a strong showing in training camp and the preseason to the point that head coach Jerod Mayo acknowledged the team had a true QB competition. It came as no surprise that Brissett got the nod to begin the campaign, though. The veteran inked a one-year deal in free agency to serve as the Patriots’ bridge starter, and Perry notes there is no firm timeline for a quarterback swap.
Through three weeks, Brissett and the team’s offense have been unable to post notable scoring totals. New England sits 31st in the NFL with an average of just 13 points per game, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes Brissett entered the year with the expectation he would need to keep leading the team to wins to hold onto his starting gig. The Patriots pulled off an upset win against the Bengals in Week 1, but that was followed up by an overtime loss to the Seahawks and a blowout defeat at the hand of the Jets. New England will play San Francisco on Sunday in a bid to avoid dropping to 1-3, something which would no doubt lead to increased calls for Maye to take over.
The North Carolina product made his regular season debut late in Week 3, and he has notably taken a 30% share of first-team reps during practice. With that routine set to continue, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated confirms Maye is still expected to handle a starting role sometime during the 2024 campaign (video link). It would come as no surprise if he were to overtake Brissett on the depth chart given his status as the Patriots’ quarterback of the future and his impressive practice outings. Questions have, on the other hand, been raised about the team’s offensive line, a unit which has remained especially uncertain at the left tackle spot; and while Mark Daniels of MassLive.com echoes Perry’s report that the Pats have been quite pleased by Maye’s work, they still believe in allowing a young passer “maturate” before deploying him in game action.
In spite of that, Maye has long been positioned to ascend to the QB1 spot in relatively short order, falling in line with standard practice regarding rookie passers around the league. Plenty will depend on how Brissett fares over the coming games, of course, but his grip on the starting spot may loosen if Maye continues to impress the team with the opportunities he is given. New England will not be on the bye until Week 14, and it will be interesting to see if a change is made before that point.
Honestly, with the way that OL has played, I would not start Maye until after the bye week, or the week prior to the bye week. They have zero high level playmakers for him to succeed with, a below average OL and a good run game. It’s going to be a uphill battle to surround him with some legit playmakers the next few years on his rookie deal.
I agree. That’s why they should have traded back from the 3rd pick. That’s a talentless roster. They need a fundamental overhaul on both sides.
I think they need to trade down this year as much as they possibly can. This draft has a lot of what they’re looking for in the trenches and explosive playmakers. I wouldn’t have traded down, because finding a franchise caliber QB is hard for any organization (see Raiders), but if you can find one asap, and then build it from inside out then you have a chance to succeed. I would target an OL in the 1st round depending where they pick, if not then target a WR/TE who can stretch the field. The issue is, nobody has multiple picks in the 1st round this year, so it’ll be possibly a trade down for another 1st next year or accumulate Day 2 picks this year which isn’t exactly the right value.
I know what you’re saying. But finding a ‘franchise QB’ is a crap shoot. Over the last five years, there are too many to name that never panned out as ‘highly touted’ 1st round picks.
The Patriots’ 3rd overall pick has to sit because their roster is that bad? What good does that do for them or Drake?
I think it’ll help him tremendously. Reading coverages on the sidelines, diagnosing blitzes and the overall concept and schemes opposing defense will show. Time will tell but I think he is being protected because Mayo doesn’t have the utmost confidence on this OL. I rather have him be protected than to have him be murdered out there like Derek Carr.
Sitting is actually beneficial to both parties. Most rookies are not going to be full speed, ready to go and handle the pros right out the gate. You may get a dozen or so guys who are and don’t look completely overmatched or overwhelmed. While there’s something to be gained from getting the experience as soon as possible, there’s also something to not rushing a player into a situation that is not going to help them (Bryce Young, Zach Wilson, David Carr, etc). Rushing QBs into a position where they have a mediocre o-line and no standout offensive weapons is not going to do someone like Maye any favors.
Also if they were convinced Maye was franchise-QB quality, why trade out of a position to grab your guy and kick the can down the road another year. There’s a limited crystal ball to figuring out which QBs will most likely be in the draft next year and who knows how any of them will rate. On top of that, there’s no guarantee the Patriots would even be in a position to grab the guy they want and could’ve been in a position where they’re reaching on the “next best guy” or take another position because they’re the highest rated player on the board and thus kicking the can down the road another year.
The smart move is to take the QB (if they think he’s a franchise QB) and figure everything else out later. Better to have the QB and now you have to surround him with quality players than to have the quality players and desperately searching for a QB.
It makes zero sense to wait around the bye week. 1, the Patriots play on the road out of the bye. 2, they play the Bills twice right after the bye. 3, the last 3 games will be.late December weather in the Northeast.
You don’t throw a guy out there for his first start during that stretch.
The OL isn’t getting any better this year. You either don’t start him at all, or you get him in within the next month. Waiting until after the bye is the worst possible situation.
Absolutely! Can’t stand the constant barrage of articles asking/pressing for Maye to start when we have NO offensive line and no real prospects of winning much of anything. Add in the all the injuries on the defensive side and you have even more of a case to keep Maye sitting and learning (red shirting) this season.
Only the people who don’t know/understand the game are really calling for Maye to start. It’s telling
One method sometimes teams go with is after about a quarter of the season, you start developing packages for a rookie qb to see time for a few drives when game planning. The benefit is in how it’s one thing to prepare in case you have to maybe play, and a whole other thing to prepare knowing you’re going to play. It’s a lost and developmental season, use it as a teaching tool week to week in game film but without getting him killed.
True, but why try that when you have NO O-Line? We aiming to turn Drake May into Tony Eason so quickly? We put Maye in and he’ll get the ever living $h!t beat out of him (and that won’t work out well for his future).
Love the Drake!