Patriots QB decision shows how far team has to go to be contender

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

Patriots QB decision shows how far team has to go to be a contender

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Aug 29, 2024 10:14 AM ET

The Patriots did right by rookie quarterback Drake Maye.

On Thursday, the team announced veteran Jacoby Brissett will begin the season as the starting quarterback.

The move is correct despite first-year head coach Jerod Mayo admitting Maye, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, outperformed Brissett during the preseason.

Mayo accurately assessed the Patriots roster and realized that despite Maye's upside, inserting him into the starting lineup on what should be one of the league's worst teams would be awful for his development.

As NFL Network's Kyle Brandt wrote on social media, "Drake Maye won the job. The rest of the Pats roster lost it for him."

Drake Maye won the job. The rest of the Pats roster lost it for him. https://t.co/TMXDDt0meD
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) August 29, 2024

In Mike Clay's 2024 season projections for ESPN, New England's offensive line ranks in the middle of the pack at No. 16. Its skill-position units are worse, with the running back committee ranking 18th and Patriots wide receivers ranking as the league's worst.

Per ESPN Bet, New England has the lowest over-under win total (4.5) entering the regular season.

Maye would be set up to fail if he began the season as New England's starting quarterback.

In his evaluation of Maye before the 2024 NFL Draft, The Athletic's Dane Brugler wrote that the former North Carolina quarterback, ranked No. 4 overall on his big board, "needs to cut down on the reckless decisions" while noting he has a "similar ceiling" to Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

Herbert started as a rookie, but their situations are entirely different. Herbert had elite skill-position players, including running back Austin Ekeler and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

Maye isn't surrounded by nearly the same firepower. However, New England can't sit Maye forever. Preserving him for a time when the offensive pieces around him can hold their own is the smart call.

By starting Brissett, Mayo admits the Patriots aren't where they need to be.

That should be a wake-up call to the entire organization.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

More must-reads: