Patriots' Jerod Mayo Breaks Down Comments of Maye 'Outplaying' Brissett

The New England Patriots head coach got real about the team's pending QB battle.

Aug 25, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo walks the field before the strat of the preseason match up against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots have a tough decision to make on their hands when it comes to the outlook of their starting quarterback position heading into the new NFL season. With the preseason finally coming to a close, the rosters and depth charts are beginning to shake out around the league, the pressure is beginning to build for this squad which has yet to name an official QB1.

It's a highly contested battle between rookie Jacoby Brissett and offseason addition Drake Maye. Signs seemed to point towards Brissett ultimately being named the guy, but the first-year signal-caller has begun to pick up some steam in the race as well. Especially when factoring in the latest comments from head coach Jerod Mayo, seeing Maye in line to become a starter may not be too far out of the realm of imagination.

Mayo recently sounded off on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show describing that Maye has showcased to have outplayed Brissett during the Patriots' initial preseason action, which effectively raised some eyebrows about what's to come in New England's decision to name a starting quarterback for Week One of the season.

The first-year head coach dove a bit deeper into his comments during Monday's team presser, where while he remains firm on his stance that Maye has outplayed his veteran counterpart in practice and preseason, there's more that goes into the decision-making process for QB1:

"Yeah, I would say it just starts in practice and also in the game where Drake [Maye] has played better... I think there are multiple factors that kind of have to go into this decision. One is the total body of work, whether we're talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. I would also say oftentimes we forget about just the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision that we have to make here in the near future. But I'm happy with the way those guys are battling it out, and hopefully, over the next couple of days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling."

- Jerod Mayo on Patriots' QB decision

Maye has made several positive strides forward in his first few months with the Patriots from being a player being viewed as a project prospect to a potential day one starter. Still, while the rookie QB has still shown a ton of upside in his initial, yet limited time on the field, there's still a chance Brissett could be the man for the job from the jump.

Brissett has the clear edge in experience that the Patriots seem to value heavily in their QB1 decision. Instead of Maye getting the nod from the start, it's very plausible we see New England hold out their rookie for the first four games of the season, seeing what the veteran has in store, then letting the rookie get his feet wet a quarter or so into the season.

Mayo also touched on the idea of rookie quarterbacks potentially being thrown into the mix too early, downplaying the narrative and leaving all possibilities open when it comes to handing Maye the keys to the offense:

"I think every situation is unique because I don't want to fall into this narrative fallacy or anything like that. Because you have seen rookie quarterbacks go out there and perform at a high level. I don't know how the story ends with Drake's rookie season, but all possibilities are open, and we'll see what happens as far as who we name the starter here in the near future."

- Jerod Mayo on Drake Maye

When factoring in the appealing play from Maye in the preseason, it makes the decision that much tougher. While the previous general sentiment around the UNC product was consistent upon letting him learn the ropes as a backup in year one, the plan could see a shift depending on how this staff views the QB room they've got.

Expect a decision on the Patriots' quarterback battle to be made in the coming days as Maye continues to surge with a chance to be the Week One signal caller vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

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