Drake Maye's strong preseason showing has Patriots HC Jerod Mayo rethinking QB plans

New England Patriots veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been the frontrunner to be the team's Week 1 starter for virtually the entire offseason. However, rookie signal-caller Drake Maye is doing his best to make the decision as difficult as possible for head coach Jerod Mayo.

Maye has displayed the physical traits that made him the 2024 No. 3 overall pick throughout training camp and preseason. His efforts have caught the attention of Mayo, particularly following New England's most recent exhibition contest against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Despite not posting eye-popping numbers versus the Eagles, Maye looked the part of a long-term franchise quarterback. He convinced Pats fans of that with one beautifully thrown incompletion to fellow first-year pro Javon Baker.

Now, Mayo seems less confident about who will be under center for the Pats regular-season opener on Sep. 8 when they face the Cincinnati Bengals. He's propped the door open for Maye to swoop in and supplant Brissett atop the depth chart.

Drake Maye's strong preseason showing has Patriots HC Jerod Mayo rethinking QB plans

"We have three more days of training camp practices, and it's our job as coaches to evaluate, Mayo stated via ESPN's Mike Reiss. "The competition isn't over."

Moreover, Mayo said Maye "definitely took a step forward" in the Pats' 14-13 loss to the Eagles. Meanwhile, Brissett has struggled in his limited preseason reps, further helping the UNC product bridge the gap.

Brissett has completed 3 of his 10 preseason pass attempts for 17 scoreless yards and an ugly end zone interception against the Eagles. From their box scores, you'd think he is the less experienced gunslinger between him and Maye. Ostensibly, Mayo sees this, hence his new open-minded approach.

While Mayo initially wanted to roll with the seasoned vet (Brissett) and ease Maye into action, things can change quickly in this league. Like most positional battles, this remains fluid and subject to change.

Maye fared well in his outing against the Eagles. He was 6-of-11 for 47 scoreless passing yards, adding four carries for 15 yards and his first career NFL touchdown through the ground. 

Mayo's comments suggest Maye is impressing the Patriots coaching staff enough to a point where he could start for New England sooner than anticipated. Conversely, Brissett's poor play has only added to the speculation.