A few months ago, New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo did not seem all that confident in rookie quarterback Drake Maye. As a matter of fact, back during rookie minicamp, Mayo said that Maye had a lot work on.
As a result, most felt that Jacoby Brissett was a shoo-in to land the Patriots’ starting quarterback job heading into Week 1.
But now, Maye appears to be gaining some momentum.
After recently not ruling out the possibility of Maye starting Week 1, Mayo is now expressing some supreme confidence in the first-year signal-caller.
“One hundred percent, I think he’s ready to run the huddle,” Mayo said, via Karen Guregian of Mass Live.
While Brissett is still the favorite to start, Maye is clearly picking up ground and may end up getting some significant run in 2024 after all.
That’s a major change from earlier in the offseason. Maye has looked impressive in training camp and preseason, and Brissett has not exactly lit it up.
For that reason, the door is open for Maye, but he is probably still behind the 8-ball.
The Patriots don’t provide a great situation for Drake Maye
Perhaps the biggest problem with Maye starting right out of the gate is that the Patriots don’t exactly present ideal circumstances for the youngster.
New England has all sorts of issues offensively. It may have the worst set of skill position players in football. Its offensive line is a mess. Its running game was terrible in 2023.
Now, it should be noted that the Patriots do have some interesting young prospects, such as rookie wide receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker and second-year wide out Demario Douglas. But, those guys are unproven commodities, so Maye would not have a true No. 1 pass-catcher at his disposal.
Those variables will likely play a significant role in Mayo’s decision when it comes time to announce his starting quarterback for the season opener.
Plus, New England is surely still gunshy from the Mac Jones era, so it will likely want to treat Maye with kid gloves moving forward. The Pats went just 4-13 last year, so they need to ensure that they don’t screw thing up with the University of North Carolina product.
All of that said, it appears that Drake Maye is making quite an impression in Foxborough.
Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.
