Jerod Mayo just all but officially confirmed Patriots Week 1 starting QB

There continues to be a lot of debate surrounding who the Patriots will name the starting quarterback for the 2024 season, with arguments supporting Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye being reasonable and sensible no matter which player you prefer.

Throughout the offseason, the assumption has been that the veteran will remain the QB1 no matter how Maye performs, which Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt have emphasized when asked to comment on the situation. To some, this goes against what we've seen from both quarterbacks during the preseason, as Maye has simply outperformed his counterpart.

That was further proven in their preseason game against the Commanders on Sunday night. Brissett suffered an injury on the opening drive that kept him sidelined, and Maye led the offense to a touchdown during one of his drives once he took over under center.

At the end of the night, the rookie recorded 13/20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown, adding three carries for 17 yards as well. It was a great look into what the Patriots are building around for the future, especially Maye's connection with fellow rookie Ja'Lynn Polk, bringing excitement to New England once again.

Because of Maye's performance, Jerod Mayo was asked his current stance on the starting role for the upcoming season, which seemed like a fair question given another excellent performance from the rookie.

Although the head coach didn't give a definitive answer, his wording suggests that it could certainly be received that way.

Jerod Mayo seemed to imply who the Patriots starting quarterback will be after preseason finale

Despite Maye's performance during the Patriots matchups with the Eagles and Commanders over the last two weeks, Mayo hasn't swayed his position regarding who will be the starting quarterback.

His opinion didn't change, even with the possibility of Brissett being sidelined with the shoulder injury he sustained early in the last game. Mayo even referred to Maye as the "second-best quarterback" on the roster, which could easily be interpreted as the decision being made already regarding the starter.

The decision will be met with various reactions since a majority of fans have made their desire to see Maye be the quarterback as soon as possible well-known, and it looks like Mayo hasn't adapted that mindset just yet.

Given the problems with the offensive line, it might be a questionable decision for the rookie to be the signal caller, with the risk of injury and hurting his confidence much higher. But at the same time, if the new regime plans to be competitive immediately, which they've given conflicting answers about, their best bet is to go with Maye.

We likely won't know the final decision until roster cuts are made or until the Patriots take on the Bengals in Week 1.

UPDATE as of August 26:

Mayo has contradicted what he implied after the Patriots loss to the Commanders on Sunday night.

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