Brissett or Maye? Mayo says Patriots still don't know their Week 1 starting quarterback
FOXBORO -- Will it be Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye at quarterback for the Patriots in Week 1 of the regular season? As the Patriots hit the final week of their preseason, head coach Jerod Mayo still doesn't know, setting up an interesting few weeks leading up to Sept. 8 in Cincinnati.
For much of the summer, all signs pointed toward Jacoby Brissett getting the nod as New England's starting quarterback in Week 1 against the Bengals. The veteran was signed over the offseason to be a bridge QB to whomever the Patriots drafted with the third overall pick, which ended up being Drake Maye.
Maye started the offseason well behind Brissett on New England's depth chart, but he's come on strong over the last few weeks. The 21-year-old outplayed Brissett in last week's preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and after a few more solid practices from Maye over the weekend, even Mayo himself is pumping up the QB competition on the practice field.
"We still don't know right now," Mayo said Monday when asked who would be the team's starting quarterback in Week 1. "We have another preseason game and then a week after that -- when I know I'll let you know."
Drake Maye still has a chance to be Patriots starting quarterback
While Mayo didn't give much substance when chatting with reporters on the field, he was much more open during his Monday morning radio interview on WEEI when asked about the chances of Maye being the team's Week 1 starter.
"One hundred percent, and we're still in training camp," Mayo told The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning. "We still have, you know, our preseason game against Washington. And once again, we don't have a starting quarterback right now. When it's time, we'll announce that.
"But he could absolutely be QB1, so could Jacoby," Mayo added. "So we just got to see how it plays out."
While he won't set anything in stone, this is a much different tune than Mayo was singing on July 23 when he said that Brissett was the team's starter "at this point." That Mayo won't even name a starter "at this point" right now shows that the competition could really break either way in the coming weeks.
Mayo said the team's developmental plan for Maye is going as planned and heading in the right direction, which expects to continue. He acknowledged that the team has to be flexible with Maye and his development, though he wouldn't go into much detail over the nitty gritty of the plan.
But Mayo said that Maye has "absolutely" gotten better and he has seen a big boost in confidence from the rookie quarterback. Mayo says that stems from Maye's comfort level in the New England offense.
"He's settled into his routine and that is important for any rookie," Mayo noted to reporters in Foxboro. "Going through your progressions and building trust with the guys up front. Going through your progressions and making the right throw."
Mayo said that is a product of Maye's dedication toward improving and all the extra work that he puts in before and after practice.
"He's a guy that comes in early and leaves late," Mayo said of Maye. "I would also say the coaches have done a good job meeting with him 1-on-1 and making sure he's comfortable in the scheme. He's absolutely getting better and that was part of the plan."
Jacoby Brissett still sees himself as Patriots' starter
After Monday's practice, Brissett said that he isn't listening to all the outside noise or paying attention to headlines about the quarterback competition.
"I can't worry about that. I just go out and do my job," he said. "I've been in this league long enough. I wouldn't be shocked by anything, but I'm just putting my best foot forward in the process. Not listening to the outside noise has kept me in this league. Had I done that before, I'd be out of this league a long time ago.
"Every day I come out and try to be my best," Brissett added. "I don't really worry about the competition, I more so worry about myself and being a good teammate."
Mayo said that he has been pleased with how the veteran has handled his recent struggles.
"He's the ultimate next-play guy," Mayo said of Brissett. "You need that, where you just move on and not get too high or too low."
Anyone who's healthy is going to play Sunday night vs. Washington
Brissett played three series last week against Philadelphia before Maye took over for the second and third quarters. On Monday, Mayo said that the Patriots need to put in a lot of work in Sunday night's preseason finale against the Commanders, so we'll see a lot of regulars in action during the exhibition.
"Everyone that is healthy is going to play in the game," said Mayo. "Not sure what Washington's gonna do, but it really doesn't matter. It's what we need to do, what we need as a team.
"To me, the only way to get better at football is to play football," added Mayo. "It's important to get that live action and also build on our conditioning."
