Ex New England Patriots Captain Predicts Quarterback Surprise

Former New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty recently predicted Will Grier to be the starting quarterback in Sunday's game versus the New York Giants.

The New England Patriots have yet to announce their starting quarterback for Sunday's game versus the New York Giants. This ongoing mystery has left many to speculate as to who will take the field inside MetLife Stadium as the Patriots signal-caller. 

Will it be Mac Jones, who, despite being benched in the 10-6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts right before the potential game-winning drive, still hasn't officially lost the job yet? Or will coach Bill Belichick give one of his backups the chance, like Jones's replacement against the Colts, Bailey Zappe? 

Former Patriots captain and safety Devin McCourty is predicting that the starter will be neither Jones nor Zappe. Rather, he is predicting a swerve from Belichick and co.

"Honestly, from like looking at some of the reports, I think it's going to be Will Grier," McCourty said recently during an interview on WEEI's The Greg Hill Show. "Yeah, I think all of the media portions have been Bailey and Mac going back and forth taking the first-team reps, but I think that they're doing that to like make sure no one knows [about Grier]."

Retired New England Patriots safety Devin McCourty (left) and current quarterback Will Grier (right) / USA Today Network

As our own Mike D'Abate noted during the Patriots' bye week, there had been a slight shift in reps that were being given during the open media portion of practice. Jones was taking reps with the first-team offense, while Grier and Zappe were receiving "increased" looks with the second and third-team. 

"I think to bench Mac in that last game in Germany against the Colts with two minutes left -- I just think they've seen a lot of Zappe, they've seen a lot of Mac. Will Grier's a guy that they really haven't seen much," McCourty said. "And he's a professional, he's been in the league for a while in different situations. I think there's a chance he starts Sunday."

Since coming into the league in 2019, where he was drafted in the third-round by the Carolina Panthers, Grier has started in just two games, both of which came in his rookie season. Grier failed to help the Panthers win either of his two starts, as he completed 53.8 percent of his passes for 228 yards with four interceptions.

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Pulling a swerve like the one McCourty is predicting wouldn't necessarily be surprising. The Patriots have gone this long without naming a starter and have seemingly tried to avoid giving away any hints. 

While it is possible that Belichick and co. really haven't decided who will start on Sunday; it could just be a case of gamesmanship from the Patriots. Starting Grier or even rookie Malik Cunningham after showing the media Jones and Zappe in practice would be just another case of that. 

Kickoff between the Patriots and Giants inside MetLife Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. (EST).