Patriots HC Jerod Mayo Says Drake Maye Has 'Outplayed' Jacoby Brissett

The New England Patriots head coach sounded off on his quarterback battle.

Aug 25, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throws during the first half against the Washington Commanders at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Things are heating up in the New England Patriots quarterback competition as we continue to draw closer to the start of the fresh NFL season.

The Patriots took on their final preliminary action on Sunday night as they faced off against the Washington Commanders, and while the matchup ended in a 10-20 loss for New England, it was another contest where fans got to see a few solid glimpses from their first-round rookie quarterback, Drake Maye.

Maye showed out once again in the reps that he got, posting 13 completions of his 20 attempts, throwing for 126 yards including a touchdown pass to his running back Kevin Harris. It was a great follow-up performance after the Patriots' previous preseason bout vs. the Philadelphia Eagles-- another game where Maye presented a solid case to be named New England's QB1 in due time.

Signs have indicated within the building that veteran offseason addition Jacoby Brissett remains in line as the best candidate to win the starting gig, but that doesn't mean that Maye's performance up to this point hasn't put a few people on notice. Especially in the case of Jerod Mayo, the Patriots head coach made some revealing comments during a Monday interview with WEEI.

During an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Mayo dished some of his thoughts after the Patriots' Sunday loss, where he went on to describe some of what he's seen from the QB spot-- hinting at his view that Maye has outplayed Brissett leading into the new year:

"This is a true competition... and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby. Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work going all the way back to the spring and the beginning of training camp. We'll see."

- Jerod Mayo on Patriots' QB battle

Pats' Head Coach, Jerod Mayo, joins!
What is the update on the QB battle? Mayo: "Drake has outplayed Jacoby".
Mayo addresses the O-Line issues. Is the 0-Line a factor in the QB decision? @WEEI pic.twitter.com/bTHwgb9mqC

— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) August 26, 2024

If the QB battle is labeled as a "true competition" like Mayo says, then this could be a big step in the right direction for Maye's chances to hit the starting lineup sooner rather than later. The Patriots head coach has remained adamant that there is a plan in place to develop their young QB this season, but with his preseason performance looking ahead of schedule, there's a world where this staff could pivot.

Maye was deemed a candidate to sit heading into his rookie year due to some of the adjustments he'd have to make before becoming a quality NFL starter. However, with two solid sample sizes of the Patriots' rookie in preseason, the product is looking way more refined than what we once thought.

His footwork has improved, his ball placement looks on par, and his athletic and mobile upside adds another layer to a lacking offensive unit that could utilize that skillset. There are some questions with the team structure around him, but if Maye is a signal caller more readily equipped to win games than Brissett, there's a great case for the first-year QB to get the nod to start early.

Keep an eye on the Patriots in the coming days as we'll start to get a better idea of who we anticipate to be QB1 for Week One against the Cincinnati Bengals.

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