Proposed Patriots trade candidate would be awful news for Drake Maye

For as much goodwill as the New England Patriots have earned with me over the last few months after I initially hated the Jerod Mayo hire, it would all go to waste if they traded Jacoby Brissett prematurely. Joe Tansey of Bleacher Report outlined three Patriots players who could be trade targets heading into training camp. One of which was Brissett, but why do that to Drake Maye?

I think the world of Brissett, as I firmly believe he can be a coach, a front-office executive, a football analyst or anything of his choosing once he hangs up the spikes. He has played well in a stop-gap starter role for many teams in his pro career. The guy is universally beloved, so to trade him away to a quarterback-desperate team before Maye is truly ready for the limelight is just patently insane to me.

Of course, the Patriots are in full-blown rebuild mode. This isn't about making the playoffs this year, but making them for the next several ... in the next few, of course. Brissett could fetch the Patriots a sizable return on their investment should another franchise really need a quarterback. I get this is the NFL and these things happen, but I would protect Brissett and Maye at all costs if I were the Patriots.

Brissett may not start even a quarter of the Patriots' games this season, but he is so very valuable.

New England Patriots should not trade away Jacoby Brissett this season

While I loved the Alex Van Pelt hire, it is only going to work out for the Patriots if Brissett stays in the building throughout the season. He needs to show Maye the ropes and how to prepare at the game's highest level. Maye is a mega talent but often played down to his competition at North Carolina. He has arm strength for days, but he cannot lock in on one receiver and think that will work in the NFL.

This season is not going to be about wins and losses in New England, but undeniable progress in the right direction. New England may very well end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. They could use that to trade back with a team in dire need of a quarterback to gain more assets. Again, this season is all about setting Maye up for success long-term. Trading Brissett ruins that.

Ultimately, it really comes down to what Eliot Wolf and his front office staff want to do in New England going forward. If they believe Maye is ready and can get quite the haul for Brissett, I wouldn't blame them for trading the veteran journeyman away. I may not agree with the move, but I could understand it. What I cannot understand is moving on from Brissett prematurely when Maye is not ready to lead.

Once it presents itself that Maye is ready to take the NFL by storm, we can cross the Brissett bridge.