New England Patriots name Jacoby Brissett starting quarterback over Drake Maye
BOSTON – For the time being, the quarterback competition is over for the New England Patriots. Jerod Mayo has named Jacoby Brissett New England's starter, opting for the veteran to start the year over No. 3 pick Drake Maye.
The Patriots were the last team in the NFL to announce a starting quarterback this season. Mayo announced his decision to the team Thursday morning, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter, before holding a press conference at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots 100 percent behind Jacoby Brissett
"As an organization, we're 100 percent behind Jacoby," Mayo said Thursday morning. "There is no 'weve got a guy right here, a guy right there.' We are 100 percent behind Jacoby. I had an opportunity to talk to Drake and opportunity to talk to Jacoby separately, and also together. We're all on the same page as far as an organizational perspective.
"There are a lot of factors that led to this choice," said Mayo. "The hard part is thinking in the long term and the short term at the same time. As an organization we feel that Jacoby gives us our best chance to win right now."
Mayo clarified that Brissett is the starter "for the season" and didn't want to discuss any hypotheticals where Maye could take over later in the year.
"As long as Jacoby is going out and performing the way we all have confidence in him doing, he'll be our quarterback this season," said Mayo.
Brissett had always believed that he would be the team's starter, and is grateful for the opportunity.
"It's not something I take for granted, that's for sure," said Brissett. "I'm excited. Been a lot of long days, long nights in the journey to get to this point. I'm grateful for this opportunity and also excited for it."
Pats go with Jacoby Brissett after late push by Drake Maye
Maye made a late push for the job during the preseason, but with an offensive line that struggled throughout the summer, New England chose to give Maye more time to develop behind Brissett. The rookie completed 21 of his 34 passes this preseason for 196 yards and one passing touchdown.
Brissett started all three preseason games but played sparingly, going 5-for-14 with a red-zone interception. During training camp, Maye took the majority of snaps with the team's backups while Brissett got the bulk of the starting reps.
"I think it's important to remember what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said of his QB decision on Wednesday, prior to announcing it to the team. "The challenge is, you want to win every single game now, but also, we're trying to build something special here."
That was essentially Mayo saying that while Maye is the future, starting Brissett is better for the present.
After Sunday's preseason finale, Mayo said that Maye has been the second-best quarterback so far. Hours later, Mayo admitted that Maye has outplayed Brissett in preseason games, saying that choosing a starter would be a difficult decision.
"I would say it just starts in practice and also in the game where Drake has played better," Mayo said. "Now, in saying that, everyone needs to know who the starters are going to be. I think there are multiple factors that kind of have to go into this decision. One is the total body of work, whether we're talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. I would also say oftentimes we forget about just the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision that we have to make here in the near future. But I'm happy with the way those guys are battling it out, and hopefully, over the next couple of days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling."
Brissett says shoulder injury is 100 percent fine
Brissett suffered a shoulder injury on a big hit in Sunday night's preseason loss to the Commanders and played just one series. But he said Tuesday that he was "100 percent fine."
"I think it was more of a precautionary measure," Brissett told WEEI. "I hadn't gotten hit in eight months, so it kind of surprised me more than anything."
Brissett has started 48 games during his NFL career, leading his teams (Cleveland, Miami, and Indianapolis) to an 18-30 record in those games. Brissett was last a starter in 2022 for the Browns, when he guided Cleveland to a 4-7 record in his 11 starts with the team.
The Patriots will kick off their 2024 season against the Bengals in Cincinnati on Sept. 8.