Tom Brady doesn't hide his opinion on Patriots' starting Drake Maye this season

When the Patriots decided to sign veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett in free agency, many fans were not pleased with the idea of him being the team's starter for the 2024 season. Because New England held the third overall pick in the draft, it was more than obvious they would be using it to select their next franchise player.

Once that was made official by choosing Drake Maye, analysts, and fans began to demand that the rookie get the start ahead of Brissett because of how impressive he looked throughout his college career at UNC.

Some of that push changed during spring and summer practices when Maye wasn't lighting it up on the field in the way that most imagined.

However, calls for him to be named the Week 1 starter have remained the same, some of which have gotten louder after his preseason performance against the Eagles on Thursday night. Plenty of people remain skeptical about pushing the rookie onto the field too early, including former players, with one of the most respected of all seemingly joining their side of the argument.

Tom Brady doesn't hide his opinion on Patriots' starting Drake Maye this season

Fanatics Fest was off to a hot start on Friday afternoon, with Tom Brady as one of the event's headliners. He was scheduled for a sit-down, no-holds-barred interview with ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, where no question was labeled off limits, at least according to Smith.

At some point during the interview, Brady was asked about players being starters as rookies, which might have been a question laced with Drake Maye undertones, to which the quarterback revealed he isn't a fan.

"I think it's a tragedy that we're forcing these rookies to play early because we have dumbed down the game."

While those of us who have never played through multiple eras of NFL football can't speak to the game being "dumbed down," we can acknowledge that Brady makes a valid point.

We have seen time and time again that starting rookies, specifically quarterbacks, too soon can become an absolute nightmare for the team and the player. It's not a bad idea to have them sit for a season to learn the dynamics and speed of the game in a professional atmosphere, as we saw with Brady and, most recently, Patrick Mahomes.

It makes sense why teams in a position similar to the Patriots would want to throw a rookie quarterback out there in hopes it would give them the best chance to be successful, but it doesn't hurt to give him an opportunity to grow and learn from veterans ahead of him and his teammates.

Plus, we've seen what can happen when a player is put into a situation they aren't ready for, whether due to their inexperience or the team around them isn't suitable enough to give them the best chance to succeed.

Do we need to revisit the Mac Jones experience as a reminder?

It will be a tough decision for the new regime led by Jerod Mayo to make for the season ahead, especially if Maye can win the starting job with his abilities. It will need to be a decision carefully considered with the state of the offense taken seriously.

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