The New England Patriots and head coach Jerod Mayo selected former North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick of the NFL Draft and appear to be ready and willing to risk it all, potentially passing the torch to their new face of the franchise as soon as Week 1 of the 2024 season.
However, veteran journeyman and career backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Patriots this offseason, won't go down without a fight as he and Maye compete to be the team's starter. He is looking forward to the challenge if his recent conversation with ESPN's Patriots reporter Mike Reiss is any indication.
Jacoby Brissett won't back down from the looming Patriots battle with Drake Maye for the starting QB job
"That's all out of my control, so I don't really worry about that. I'm excited to have him on the team, and the other guys as well that we drafted and picked up. I think it's going to be good," Brissett said, per Reiss. "Competition brings out the best in all of us, so I'm excited about that part," he added.
Mayo has vocalized the importance of the offseason addition of Brissett, noting that the vet can serve as both a mentor to Maye and a potential bridge quarterback for the Pats while the rookie gets up to speed.
Brissett has 48 career starts under his belt and has an 18-30 record. He returned to New England this offseason, who drafted him in the third round in 2016, to allow himself to expand on that if he can beat out Maye for the starting gig. "Of course. I wouldn't have come if I didn't," Brissett said about welcoming the positional battle with Maye.
All we can do for now is try to predict when Maye will make his first start for the Patriots. But Brissett won't simply hand him the job -- he has to earn it.