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Jerod Mayo has left the door open for Drake Maye to become Patriots’ Week 1 starting quarterback
"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."
If the recent comments made by first-year Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo are any indication, the chance remains for rookie quarterback Drake Maye to become the Week 1 starter.
Mayo spoke to WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” on Monday morning followed by a media availability with Patriots reporters prior to the day’s training camp practice. The topic of Maye and the quarterback competition was raised frequently.
Regarding Maye specifically, Mayo told WEEI that he’s seen the third overall pick advance in the short time he’s already been with New England.
“He’s definitely made progress, and I would just say overall that his command of the huddle and his progressions have been pretty good,” Mayo said.
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“He still has a lot to work on. Let’s not forget, he is a rookie quarterback, and there are things that will show up that he hasn’t seen before,” the Patriots coach quickly added. “You have to remember in the preseason games, usually the defenses and the offenses, it’s really basic. And so he’ll still continue to develop and see new things, but I like where he is.”
New England’s projected depth chart coming into training camp had veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett firmly placed at the top, with Mayo saying in July that he didn’t think there was “any doubt that Jacoby is the starting quarterback at this point and time.” The 31-year-old former Patriots third-round draft pick rejoined his original team in the offseason as a free agent.
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According to Mayo, Brissett has already won over the respect of his team.
“Jacoby has played in this league for a long time, and he has really earned the right — and, I would say, earned the respect of his teammates, and also the coaches — to go out there and move the ball,” said Mayo. “Now in saying that, we came into this season even right after we drafted Drake at [third overall] with a plan, a development plan.”
“We’re going to stick to the plan,” Mayo continued. “It might not be a popular plan, but we’re doing what we think is right for the organization, not only in the near term but also the long term.”
Mayo naturally offered little on the specifics of the Patriots’ plan for Maye and the rest of the quarterbacks but provided some general thoughts when asked in the press conference by ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
“I’m not going to get too much into the plan, but at the core, it’s just the extra work,” he said. “We talked about the tools that we have, and all the quarterbacks that we have are really taking advantage of that — whether it’s the virtual reality, the extra walkthroughs, the meetings by themselves — they’re just doing all of that extra stuff that’s really paying dividends.”
Could the plan change if Maye outperform expectations?
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“Yeah, 100 percent,” replied Mayo during the radio interview. “We’re still in training camp. We still have our preseason game against Washington.”
“Once again, we don’t have a starting quarterback right now,” he said. “When it’s time, we’ll announce that, but he could absolutely be QB1. So could Jacoby, so we’ll just have to see how it plays out.”
On the recent growth of his rookie quarterback, Mayo said that the development has been noticeable among the rest of the team.
“He made some good throws, and I would say his teammates can see that confidence growing as well,” he said of Maye. “Hopefully it’s just upward trajectory from there.”
Maye played just one series in his first preseason game but managed more playing time against the Eagles in the Patriots’ second August matchup.
Against Philadelphia, Maye went 6-of-11 for 47 yards and scored the Patriots’ lone touchdown of the game in a 14-13 loss. Beyond stats, Mayo credited the rookie’s work ethic.
“It’s attributed first of all to his hard work, and dedication to his craft,” he said. “This guy comes in early, leaves late every day. He’s one of those type of guys, he’s done a great job. I would also say the coaches have done a good job, meeting with him one-on-one, making sure that he’s comfortable in this game, but he’s absolutely getting better.”
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As for who might win the quarterback competition, Mayo laid out his criteria.
“I would say with all positions, it’s just consistency. You don’t want to ride the up-and-down waves,” he said of Maye, “and that’s what he’s been proving here as of late, and we’ll see if this trajectory continues to go that way.”
“We always have to be flexible in regards to the plan,” Mayo concluded. “Right now it’s all going the right way, the right direction, and hopefully it continues to get better.”
The Patriots will face the Commanders on Aug. 25 in the team’s final preseason game. New England will then face the Bengals in Cincinnati for a Week 1 matchup on Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.
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