The New England Patriots are set to give first-round draft pick Drake Maye his first professional start as they look to break a four-game losing streak with veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett. A source familiar with the decision shared this information with The Associated Press on Tuesday, though the team has not officially announced it. NFL Network was the first to report Maye’s promotion.
Maye previously played at the end of a Week 3 loss to the New York Jets, completing 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards. In contrast, Brissett has thrown 79 passes for 135 yards with two touchdowns and one interception over five starts this season, never exceeding 150 net yards in a game.
The Patriots will face the Houston Texans at home on Sunday. There was no media availability on Tuesday, and a team spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
Since Tom Brady’s departure in 2020, the Patriots have struggled to find a reliable quarterback. They have tried veteran players like Cam Newton and drafted Mac Jones but have only appeared in one playoff game, which they lost.
After selecting Jones 15th overall in the 2021 draft and quickly starting him, the team decided to draft Maye third overall. Despite ongoing struggles in many areas, including the offensive line, coach Jerod Mayo had initially opted to stick with Brissett instead of putting Maye in a tough situation.
However, Mayo’s comments changed on Monday when he stated, “We have to look at every single unit and every single player and figure out how we use this roster to go out there and win games.”
