Insider shares big concern about Patriots starting Drake Maye

As of Wednesday afternoon, first-year New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo hadn't publicly announced if rookie Drake Maye or veteran Jacoby Brissett would be his Week 1 starting quarterback. 

Much was made before and after New England selected Maye with the third overall pick of this year's draft about how the club needed to alter his footwork to prepare him to face live defenses in meaningful contests. According to Patriots and NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, that aspect of Maye's game still needs work even after he impressed across a couple of preseason appearances. 

"Maye was drafted by the Patriots without having much, if any, footwork training at North Carolina that translated to the NFL game," Breer wrote on Wednesday. "It wasn’t the worst thing, because it’s easier to build off no habits than bad habits. Still, there’s no question that the biggest threat to his progress, and there’s been a lot, is that when he’s under duress, he reverts to his old habits. That’s why, if I’m New England, I don’t start Maye behind that offensive line until I’m sure he has the 10,000 reps he needs for what he’s learned to become permanent."

Breer isn't the only person who believes Maye could benefit from spending time as Brissett's primary backup this fall. On the latest edition of NESN's "Boston Has Entered The Chat" podcast, Doug Kyed of The Boston Herald directly said that the "smart move" would be for Mayo to start Brissett for the regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8 because the Patriots have "so much uncertainty with the offensive line." 

Also on Wednesday, Karen Guregian of MassLive noted that the Patriots "didn’t assemble an offensive line fit for a promising rookie quarterback" across their first offseason of their ongoing roster rebuild. 

Whether teams should immediately start or sit rookie quarterbacks selected with high draft picks becomes widely debated among analysts and former players each summer. While some believe it's best to let a first-year pro learn about life in the NFL "the hard way," others voice concerns about franchises ruining young signal-callers by forcing them to feature for teams lacking talent before they're ready for such assignments. 

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2024 Patriots at +160 betting odds to win over 5.5 games. Such forecasts indicate experts don't expect much from the current New England squad regardless of which quarterback takes the most starting snaps from Week 1 through Week 18.

"There’s no need to rush anything," Breer continued, "though the Patriots will have to manage the rest of the team on this one since surely some players think Maye gives them the best chance to win now."

That point is crucial, as veteran Patriots defensive lineman Davon Godchaux left no doubt last week that he and others inside the locker room know some outsiders think the team is "tanking" the upcoming season with 2025 and 2026 in mind. 

In short, Patriots players may tolerate Brissett starting through the Week 3 game at the New York Jets on Thursday, Sept. 19. If New England is winless after that contest, Mayo may have to use the extra time to get Maye ready to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 29 to prevent an early locker-room mutiny from arising.