Patriots HC Jerod Mayo responds to criticisms of handling of Drake Maye

Some were surprised to learn last week that New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye was operating as the club's QB3 during organized team activities behind veteran Jacoby Brissett and 2022 fourth-round draft pick Bailey Zappe.

Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo spoke with reporters on Wednesday and insisted Maye "is taking advantage of the opportunities that he gets" amid criticisms of the club's handling of the third overall choice from this year's player-selection process.

"My message is, it's not how many opportunities, it's what you do with the opportunities that you get," Mayo said about the situation, per the Patriots' website. "Look, going back to the competition part of it, the better you do on a day-after-day basis, not just on the field but also in the classroom, the more reps you'll get going forward."

New England signed Brissett in March so he could serve as a mentor and a possible bridge option at the position long before the club drafted Maye on the night of April 25. 

Mayo has said throughout the process that "the best player will start" at quarterback in September, and AFC East reporter Henry McKenna of Fox Sports wrote last week that Maye seemed "to have a long journey to winning starting job" ahead of him at that time.

Mayo indicated that Maye is completing additional off-the-field work with the help of virtual reality technology.

"I know that when we talk about meetings, we usually talk about sitting at a desk and taking notes, but we have spaces inside the building where you can actually go out there and get real-life looks at the defenses and go through the calls with coaches, so he'll get his reps," Mayo added about Maye.

Earlier this week, New England executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf revealed that the team will take "a collaborative approach" regarding when Maye will be named the starter for a meaningful game. For now, it appears Wolf and others within the front office are comfortable with how Mayo is developing the first-year pro.

As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Maye as a +2200 betting underdog to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the upcoming season. Perhaps those odds will change as Maye is given more to do during training-camp practices.