Decision made: Mayo tabs Jacoby Brissett as Patriots’ starting QB originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots are sticking to their plan at quarterback.

Jacoby Brissett will be the starting QB for New England‘s Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8, head coach Jerod Mayo told his players in a team meeting early Wednesday morning, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Rookie Drake Maye made great strides during training camp and the preseason, to the point where Mayo admitted Maye actually “outplayed” Brissett. But the Patriots ultimately sided with Brissett’s experience over Maye’s upside, opting to take their time developing the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

New England’s decision to start Brissett appears to go against Mayo’s assertion earlier this summer that whichever quarterback performs best would win the job. Brissett completed just 5 of 14 passes for 36 yards with an interception in the end zone over three preseason games, while Maye completed 21 of 34 attempts for 192 passing yards with a touchdown, while adding 32 rushing yards on seven attempts with an additional score.

Still, it’s not surprising to see Brissett get the nod. The 31-year-old veteran boasts eight years of NFL experience with five NFL teams and appears to be the preferred QB of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who worked with Brissett in 2022 on the Cleveland Browns.

“There’s certain things in this offense that Jacoby, having played in this offense, understands some of the tools you can use to get you out of certain situations, pressure situations, things like that, that Drake is still learning,” Van Pelt said last week.

“… Jacoby has tons of experience, not just in the NFL but in this system, and we’ve won games with him in Cleveland, so I feel comfortable with his understanding (of the offense).”

While Brissett will take the field in Week 1, don’t expect Maye to fade to the background. The UNC product made a very strong case this preseason that he’s ready for NFL action and performed well despite playing in front of a porous offensive line. If Brissett falters even slightly, the calls for Maye to make his NFL debut will grow louder.

The question for Mayo, Van Pelt and the Patriots is whether they’re willing to risk hindering Maye’s development by playing him too early in front of a shoddy offensive line. And at the moment, it appears we have our answer: They want to play the long game with their rookie QB.