Drake Maye likely to sit to start his NFL career with the New England Patriots?
Former North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye just completed rookie minicamp with his new team, the New England Patriots after being selected No. 3 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Patriots took Maye with the hopes that he would be their next franchise quarterback. But Maye likely won’t be handed the keys to the starting offense right away.
A report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Saturday morning’s SportsCenter suggests that Maye might start as the backup as the Patriots would be prepared to start veteran Jacoby Brissett when they open up in Week 1:
“I talked to a source with the team who said: ‘Look, we’re not going to hold Drake Maye back when he’s ready to play, but we do recognize that he needs some work.’ That this is somebody who needs to get acclimated to the pro game, that could take some time. So they’re going to be prepared to play Jacoby Brissett, the veteran, to at least start the season. Certainly, they’re going to let it all play out, but I would say right now, early, early, Brissett will be the favorite.”
This shouldn’t be surprising as sometimes it’s best for a young quarterback to be able to sit and learn. However, it will become a big deal because both Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, the two quarterbacks who went ahead of Maye are likely to start from Week 1.
Other quarterbacks could win the starting on their teams as well. The Patriots certainly haven’t made any decisions regarding the starter just yet but Maye will have to beat out Brissett this Summer to secure that starting job.
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