By Mike Reiss, ESPN Staff Writer Aug 29, 2024, 8:17am ET
Mike Reiss is an NFL reporter covering the New England Patriots for ESPN. Rice has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Follow Rice on Twitter at @MikeReiss.
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Jerrod Mayo selected veteran Jacoby Brissett as his team’s starting quarterback, and the former third-overall draft pick stifled a late-game rush from rookie Drake Maye.
“We’ve decided, no, I’ve decided, our starting quarterback this season is going to be Jacoby Brissett,” Mayo said Thursday. “That being said, we as a team are behind Jacoby 100 percent. It’s not like, ‘We’ve got a good guy here, we’ve got a good guy over there.’ We’re behind Jacoby 100 percent.”
Brissett spent all of spring training and training camp as the starter, but the competitive dynamic has shifted over the past two weeks, with Mayo previously saying the gap between the quarterbacks has narrowed since May became disobedient and that May has played better than Brissett in that time frame.
At the same time, Brissett’s experience in the team’s system and his work dating back to the spring all factored into the decision-making process.
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When asked if the decision means Maye will be out for an extended period of time, Mayo said, “I don’t want to make any hypothetical statements. You can’t say before the season, ‘he’s going to play a certain number of weeks.’ As long as Jacoby performs the way we all have confidence in him, he’s our quarterback this season.”
Mayo said he’s spoken with both quarterbacks individually and as a group.
“From an organizational standpoint, I think we’re all on the same page,” Mayo said. “There are a lot of factors that led to this choice. I think the hard part is thinking about both the short-term and the long-term at the same time. But as an organization, we feel like Jacoby gives us the best chance to win at this point.”
Mayo previously said he would have the final say on starting pitchers, but that would be after the usual discussions with new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt.
The coaching staff has noted Brissett’s experience will be important: He has 48 career starts and played for the Cleveland Browns in 2022 in an offense similar to the one the Patriots run under former Browns coordinator Van Pelt.
Van Pelt suggested late last week that Brissett would be the starter, saying Maye had been “impressive” but that “it’s still a process of how you develop a rookie quarterback.” He also outlined the team’s development plan for Maye.
“We have something in this offense that Jacoby has played in and understands some tools that he can use to get out of certain situations, pressure situations,” Van Pelt said. “Drake’s still learning those things. He’s working on them.”
Brissett started all three of the Patriots’ preseason games, playing 27 total snaps and completing 5 of 14 for 36 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.
Maye replaced Brissett in three games, playing 66 snaps and completing 21 of 34 passes for 192 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 32 yards and one touchdown.
