Although we’re in the midst of the quietest part of the offseason, with under two weeks left until rookies report to Patriots training camp, the debate surrounding who will inevitably be named the team’s Week 1 starting quarterback continues.
It was clear New England would use their third overall pick in the 2024 Draft to select their next franchise quarterback, but before that, they signed veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett to presumably be the bridge player for the rookie.
That remains the plan, according to Jerod Mayo and Alex Van Pelt, despite the calls for Maye to be put on the field for the first game of the season.
There are certainly pros and cons to sitting a rookie for much or all of his rookie season, which can be debated until the end of time. But given the questionable offensive roster for the season ahead, it might not be a bad idea to keep the rookie sidelined for the foreseeable future.
The analysts at NFL Network debated it last week, with Bridget Condon sharing her belief that sitting Maye this year would be the best decision.
Since we’ve only seen what he looks like during non-competitive OTAs and minicamp, Condon believes the Patriots haven’t seen anything from Maye so far that indicates he’s ready to be the Week 1 starter.
To an extent, she’s completely right, and it would seem premature for the Patriots to name Maye the starter this early into his NFL career. There’s a reason they signed Brissett, and they’ll likely stick to that plan unless the rookie outplays him at training camp, making the new regime look foolish for choosing not to make him the starter.
But we can’t predict the future and will have to wait until we see the offense on the practice field at the end of the month through preseason to truly evaluate where Maye is in his development. He will be the starter at some point in the future, whether during his rookie season or not, and the new regime has made it clear they will prioritize making the right decision for Maye and the team.
The Patriots have experienced the fallout from starting a quarterback too early or not surrounding him with a solid enough team to allow him to thrive. That was the Mac Jones experience, which they will want to avoid replicating at all costs.
If that means Maye sits longer than some anticipated, then so be it.
https://www.nfl.com/videos/condon-there-s-nothing-that-drake-maye-has-shown-so-far-that-indicates-he-s-week-1-ready-the-insiders
