During the season, members of a team’s starting offense or defense typically see all-but exclusive time with the first-team units in practice. In the case of the Patriots, though, quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are splitting work with the starting offense. 
“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop,” head coach Jerod Mayo said on Friday (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “Normally, the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different. I guess the struggle is, ‘How do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake?’ And so it is like a 70-30 split.”
Brissett was added in free agency on a one-year deal, but it was widely assumed at the time New England would select a quarterback in the draft. Indeed, as part of the process of replacing Mac Jones, the team turned aside trade interest for the No. 3 pick and drafted Maye. Brissett entered training camp atop the depth chart, but Maye impressed during practice and the preseason to the point Mayo acknowledged the North Carolina product had been the better passer.
Nevertheless, it came as no surprise when Brissett was named the Patriots’ starter to begin the campaign. The 31-year-old is a veteran of 49 starts – including Sunday’s upset win over the Bengals – and Maye was seen as a prospect in need of development time compared to many of his classmates. It is still considered a matter of time for a QB change to take place at some point in 2024, though, which explains Mayo’s unusual approach to divvying up practice reps.
“We were very thoughtful. When we talked about having a developmental plan for Drake, that’s part of it,” Mayo added. “I’ve tried not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters and does a good job on the [scout] team as well. He’s doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”
One of five head coaches taking on that role for the first time in 2024, Mayo’s debut New England campaign will be measured in large part by Maye’s development once he takes over the starting gig. The fact he is continuing to take reps with the first-team offense is another indication Maye could be tapped for the QB1 role relatively soon, although Brissett’s play in the meantime will of course be a determining factor in that regard.
From the highlights I saw, Jacoby looked quite comfortable driving the bus for the Pats last weekend. The team shouldn’t feel any urgency to throw Maye into the fray (yes, that was an attempt to be poetic) just yet.
If patriots win 4 out of first 5 I think Jacoby is safe as qb1. If patriots stink the next month the battle cries for Maye to start will be defeating. We have seen this story a million times lol
If they’re out of playoff contention near end of season, which is highly likely going off projections, let Maye start the last 2-3 games to get him adjusted to the game. If they’re good with Brissett then great, and if bad just tank for better picks next year to help Maye out.
I think there will be plenty of opportunities for Maye to get some experience during garbage time of games. He’ll get some decent support from Stevenson who seems to be an underrated RB around the league.