The Patriots have made a decision at quarterback, but Jerod Mayo won't announce it until Thursday
FOXBORO -- The Patriots have made their decision at quarterback. But we'll all have to wait one more day to find out if it will be Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye getting the nod in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Even Brissett and Maye don't know yet, according to Jerod Mayo.
The first-year head coach told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday that a decision has been made, but he isn't announcing it until Thursday. That's when he'll inform his players of the choice during morning meetings, and then he'll make an official announcement.
"I'm going to talk to the individual players tomorrow and have a team meeting tomorrow. Then I'll get it to you guys," Mayo said Wednesday.
Why not just tell everyone on Wednesday? Mayo said that it was a "hectic" morning as the team continued to tinker with the roster. While the Patriots made a slew of moves to get to 53 players on Tuesday -- which included waiving backup QB Bailey Zappe -- Mayo said that there was still work to be done Wednesday in terms of the waiver wire and building the practice squad. That didn't give the head coach enough time to hold positional meetings Wednesday morning.
"Honestly, I want those guys to hear it from me before they hear it from someone else," he said. "As much as you want to have squad meetings, sometimes the time doesn't permit that.
"So I'll see you guys right here tomorrow, is that it?" Mayo chuckled.
The thing is, Mayo isn't scheduled to talk with reporters again until next week. Maybe he'll make a surprise appearance Thursday to make the big announcement.
Patriots players will talk with reporters in the locker room at 10:15 a.m. ahead of their 11 a.m. practice on Thursday. Then the team will be off from Friday to Monday, before everyone returns Tuesday for Week 1 of the NFL season.
For what it's worth, Brissett was taking first-team reps at Wednesday's practice while reporters were allowed to watch.
Mayo says that he made the quarterback decision
Mayo said that offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and VP of player personnel Eliot Wolf were part of the decision-making process, but it ultimately was his decision to make.
"It's my decision and if it doesn't work out, blame me," he said. "I feel like I'm doing what's best for the team with the decision that I've made."
While Maye outplayed Brissett during preseason action -- which Mayo said himself on Monday -- that doesn't necessarily mean the rookie will start over the veteran. Mayo said he looked at the full body of work by both players throughout the summer when determining who would be the team's Week 1 starter.
"It's not just one day or one game. It's everything," said Mayo. "There are different weights to those things that they do well or not well. It's the full body of work; the spring, the summer, all those things."
Mayo added that what would be best for the team at the start of the season might not be what's best for the team later in the year. That is likely an indication that the team will go with Brissett to start the season and let Maye develop on the sideline, but that Mayo also envisions Maye playing at some point in 2024.
"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," said Mayo. "The challenge is, you want to win every single game now, but also, we're trying to build something special here."
