Drake Maye's unusual treatment by Patriots might indicate starting timeline

Despite consistently stating the contrary, the Patriots' inevitable decision to name Jacoby Brissett the 2024 season starter was not met with much praise from New England fans. After seeing how well rookie Drake Maye performed in the preseason, most demanded he get the start, especially since he seemed to outplay his veteran counterpart.

However, the message from the new regime led by Jerod Mayo remained the same during the offseason: Brissett would be the starter, and maybe Maye would get some time under center at some point during the long season.

Questions began to arise regarding the Patriots' decision to use their third overall pick on a quarterback and not immediately utilize him, which prompted the never-ending argument about rookie quarterbacks and whether it's best to keep them on the sideline for their first season, a debate even Tom Brady became involved in.

Regardless of what the fans think, Brissett played in the first game against the Bengals and helped lead the offense to a shocking win. Maye was suited up and ready to go if called upon, and because there is still a focus on when he might take the field, reporters have tried to get some inside info into how the rookie is being treated behind the scenes.

The Patriots are working with Drake Maye as if he will start a game in 2024

While speaking with CBS Sports on Monday, sideline reporter Evan Washburn shared what he saw and heard regarding Maye's development before and during the Patriots' season opener against the Bengals last week.

He revealed the Patriots' unusual approach to the rookie quarterback, noting how vastly different it is from what was seen throughout Bill Belichick's tenure in New England, potentially hinting at their plans for him this year.

“Jacoby’s the starter. He won the job in the offseason and in training camp. Drake Maye’s the No. 2, but during the week he gets 30 percent of the first-team reps. And for those that don’t know, a backup in a normal NFL situation they get 5 to 10 percent of the first-team reps.

Those are valued extremely high by the starter. I mean, you go back to the Tom Brady days, the backup ain’t getting any reps. So that tells you how much they’re investing in what Drake Maye’s getting out of this year even though at the moment, he’s not the starter.”

Although the increased reps aren't valued as much as gaining real game experience, Maye is fortunate to play for a team with one of the best defenses in the league. That means he is practicing against a tougher group than just the scout team, which might not be filled with the quality of talent to help boost his readiness for the NFL.

Washburn noted how unique that is, too, plus the added difficulty that the Patriots coaching staff are adding to better prepare Maye for when his name is finally called to start.

“On top of that, when he’s running the scout team he’s not getting a heads up of what he’s going to face. So it’s not a situation where he’s there just to help out the first-team defense, they wanna use that as live game reps, if you will, for Drake Maye to face what appears to be… a top-tier defense in New England.”

This could just be their way of readying Maye for next season in the best way they can, which they seem to be doing with the use of virtual reality to give him even more simulated reps. But it could also mean they are potentially considering giving him a starting opportunity at some point during the season, likely later on.

Maybe that's looking too much into or is even wishful thinking, but it doesn't seem too far-fetched given what the Patriots season is projected to be. Time will tell, but at the very least, it's good to hear that Maye is receiving much more attention and chances to learn than the typical rookie, meaning he should be more than ready to go when the opportunity arises.

UPDATE: Jerod Mayo confirmed the splitting of reps when speaking to reporters on Friday morning.

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