Here’s Patriots’ Plan For Drake Maye Leading Into Preseason Finale

Jerod Mayo’s confidence in Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye has continued to grow over the past few weeks, leading to the renewed competition for the Week 1 starter between Maye and Jacoby Brissett.

As the Patriots head into their final preseason game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night, the first-year head coach laid out New England’s plan for Maye.

“He’ll be focused more on Patriots stuff, and he’ll be more focused on Washington stuff, quite frankly,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette stadium, per team-provided video.

Maye and Brissett are expected to have reps against Washington on Sunday, and Mayo will be looking for specific mechanics from the Patriots signal-callers.

“I think it starts with the operation,” Mayo said. “I always say, ‘Good huddle, good break, good play.’ So, it starts in the huddle, then getting guys lined up, going out there, executing the play, making the right reads and moving the offense down the field.”

Mayo added the Patriots anticipate knowing who their starting quarterback will be early next week, but may not divulge the decision right away.

“I would say by Monday night, we should know who the quarterback is,” Mayo said. “A Sunday night game, it’s always hard to really crank through the film, especially on the road. But, I think Monday, Tuesday, you probably need to know who it is. Now, that doesn’t mean I’ll tell you on Monday or Tuesday.”

The New England head coach added the decision of who would be the starting quarterback would be collaborative between himself, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the other offensive coaches and Eliot Wolf.

“The players that go out on the field, I would think I have final say,” Mayo said. “Once again, I know I’ve used this word a lot — we will collaborate on that.”

Mayo reiterated that Brissett is still the top quarterback in the Patriots organization.

“You come into camp, and you want to have an idea of how it’s going,” Mayo said. “It’s still a competition, and Jacoby is still QB1. It’s a competition amongst all the guys on the field, including the quarterback spot. So, hopefully, that makes sense … but he’s still QB1.”