Before officially naming Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback for the Patriots this season, head coach Jerod Mayo made a remark that caught attention.
On August 26, during an appearance on WEEI’s The Greg Hill Show, Mayo mentioned that rookie quarterback Drake Maye had “outplayed” Brissett. However, Mayo also said the team needed to consider everything when choosing a quarterback.
In a Tuesday morning interview on the same show, Mayo clarified his earlier statement as the team gets ready to play the Bengals on Sunday.
“I should have given more context to the comment at the time,” Mayo said, according to Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “Drake had more playing time in the preseason than Jacoby, and that was intentional.”
Maye completed 21 of 34 passes in the preseason for 192 yards and one touchdown. In contrast, Brissett had only 14 passing attempts, completing five with one interception.
As the No. 3 overall pick, Maye is expected to play eventually. However, Mayo doesn’t want to rush Maye into action, so he will have time to develop within the team.
“We talk about, not only in the game, but also in practices, getting those mental reps, and he’ll know what every play is,” Mayo said.
“He’ll make his checks and stuff on the sideline and continue to develop that way. And he’ll develop through practice. He’ll get reps [still] with the first team and also the show team.”
Mayo is not setting a public timeline for when Maye might become the starting quarterback. Brissett’s performance will also influence this decision.
“If you’re not playing well, if he’s not giving the best chance to win games, no matter the position, then we have to look at different options,” Mayo said. “And I think that’s healthy stress. I think that’s healthy competition.”
