Patriots GM vows team won't make same Mac Jones mistake with Drake Maye
Because it was clear early on that the Patriots would be taking a quarterback with the third overall pick in this year's draft, there was a lot of concern surrounding who that player would be and the handling of his development in the years ahead.
Because the Mac Jones experience soured much earlier than anticipated, there were concerns about the same mistakes being made with the new quarterback, especially when Bill Belichick was still steering the ship.
Although he is now gone and Jerod Mayo has taken over, he's a first-time head coach with a relatively inexperienced team around him, making those worries remain now that Drake Maye is officially part of the team. Fortunately, things look to be going in a more positive direction already, and Eliot Wolf confirmed that on Tuesday during an appearance on "Up & Adams."
Eliot Wolf vows to avoid mistakes Patriots made with Mac Jones with new QB Drake Maye
Mayo was part of Belichick's staff during Jones' tenure in New England and saw every minor detail that led to his demise as the team's quarterback.
He's addressed it all since becoming the head coach, and before ultimately trading, Jones had alluded to giving him another chance as the starter, which was a more positive sign of how aware he was about his unfair run over the last three years.
Although Wolf wasn't on the Patriots staff during that time, he made it clear to host Kay Adams that they intend to go about things much differently with Maye and the other quarterbacks on the team and plan to support them in all aspects of the game and their development.
Eliot Wolf on what the #Patriots learned from the Mac Jones ordeal:
— Carlos Talks Pats (@LosTalksPats) May 28, 2024
“The main thing that we’ve been able to take away is just being able to support not only Drake (Maye), but every quarterback we have. Just throw every level of support that we possibly can at the quarterbacks…… pic.twitter.com/Wpd0XaYMRf
This is a significant sign that the team is moving in the right direction and are on a better path than they might have ever been with Mac Jones.
It could be argued until the cows come home about how he never had a proper chance to thrive in New England due to poor roster management, particularly on offense, a deteriorating relationship between Belichick and Robert Kraft, which created a toxic work environment, and a lack of trust from his teammates.
It was a far from favorable atmosphere for any young quarterback, so hearing Wolf emphasize their desire to essentially ensure that doesn't happen with Maye is significant.
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