Why Patriots' Jacoby Brissett leads Drake Maye in QB competition

For a piece published on Monday, Chad Graff of The Athletic expanded on why veteran Jacoby Brissett will enter training camp as the favorite to serve as the New England Patriots' starting quarterback over rookie Drake Maye for the club's regular-season opener at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.

"Brissett may have limitations that keep him from being a top-20 quarterback," Graff explained. "But coaches love that he does just about everything right. He’s good at getting the offense into the right play. His dropbacks are fluid, and he always ends up where coaches want him to be."

Brissett unofficially became New England's temporary starter as soon as he signed his one-year, $8M contract with the club in March. 

While the Patriots made Maye the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25, he spent parts of organized team activities as the team's QB3 before he ultimately leapfrogged 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe on the depth chart ahead of New England's summer break.

Maye entered the league as a work in progress, but the 21-year-old flashed improvements regarding his footwork and other aspects of his game during springtime workouts. 

With that said, Patriots legend and current NFL analyst Rodney Harrison argued earlier this month that first-year head coach Jerod Mayo should keep Maye a backup through at least some point in October due to New England's schedule.

Graff touched upon Harrison's take.

"Given that four of the team’s first five opponents have Super Bowl aspirations, the Patriots might conclude that starting Maye could hurt his confidence if the team struggles out of the gate," Graff wrote. "So even if Brissett performs at about the same level as Maye in camp, he’ll likely still be the starter."

Following the Cincinnati game, New England faces the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans through Week 6. The Patriots will then play against the Jacksonville Jaguars at London's Wembley Stadium in Week 7 on Oct. 20.

"Ideally, Brissett is good enough to start a handful of early games while showing Maye (who was only a starter for two years in college) what it takes to be a starting quarterback in the NFL," Graff added. "But even if that doesn’t happen, the Patriots would be fine seeing what Maye can do over a 17-game season."

Such words suggest Maye could win the starting job by becoming a revelation from the start of training camp through New England's preseason finale at the Washington Commanders on Aug. 25.