Jerod Mayo's conflicting answers on Drake Maye add confusion to Patriots' QB battle

When the Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett in free agency, it became widely known what their plan was regarding the quarterback position for the 2024 season. Despite having the third overall pick in the draft, which would likely be spent on a quarterback, the veteran would be the starter in a bridge role until the rookie was ready.

That has been the accepted reality all offseason, even more so as the narrative surrounding Drake Maye continued to change. He was initially considered one of the best of his class, with some even suggesting he might be the second best, just behind Caleb Williams.

While some believe that to be true, his unexciting training camp has changed some opinions about his immediate starting ability. The potential is still there, and we've seen flashes of it, but the demands for him to be the QB1 this fall have fluctuated over the past few weeks.

Jerod Mayo's stance on the matter has matched that of the fans and reporters, as he has consistently stated that Brissett would be the starter for Week 1. After an impressive performance against the Eagles last week, however, with Brissett having his worst showing of the summer, calls for Maye have heightened.

The head coach had seemed to imply there was no chance of the rookie winning the job, even stating some crucial parts of his game he needed to work on before that happened. But just days later, he said the complete opposite, making the start of the Maye era a bit cloudier than it had been looking.

Jerod Mayo's ever-changing stance on Drake Maye doesn't make sense

As expected, Brissett has been treated as the QB1 throughout the offseason, with Maye solidifying his role as the backup. That's how Mayo has conducted practices and preseason game prep, with no change in sight.

Because Maye performed so well in their Week 2 game, the head coach was asked the following day what the rookie needed to work on to be named the starter. He reiterated Maye's need to get a better hold on calling plays and work quicker in the huddle, a point he has made previously.

“I think first and foremost is just the entire operation. I think it needs to be faster. I think he needs to get those guys in the huddle faster, get them out of the huddle faster, get to the line and just be on point.”

Given that this is Maye's first season in the NFL, it makes sense this would be a developing part of his game early on.

However, that assessment of him changed when reporters spoke to Mayo on Wednesday. He was asked if he felt like Maye had improved on his pre-snap operation that he mentioned last week, to which Mayo responded with a resounding "yes," contradicting his previous statements.

The conflicting assessments make the quarterback situation in New England far more confusing than it needs to be. While it's clear Maye has improved since he was drafted, it's hard to imagine he made such a drastic change on one of his supposed weaknesses in just a few short days.

But maybe it's crazy not to think that's a real possibility?

Regardless, Mayo also stated that the starter isn't official yet and will be announced early next week. So we'll have to wait and see if it will be Brissett or Maye in Week 1 for the Patriots.

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