Don’t Let This Jerod Mayo Admission On Patriots’ Drake Maye Go Overlooked

Jerod Mayo and the New England Patriots don’t intend to add another veteran quarterback to sit behind Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye. And it seems it’s at least in part due to what Mayo and company have seen from the rookie.

“I would agree with that,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided video.

The Patriots are content with Maye one play away from live bullets. That’s a notable admission. It served as a double-down after Mayo said earlier this month Maye would play if Brissett gets injured.

Whether or not it would be best for the Patriots to add another veteran has been proposed since training camp. It would give New England a veteran insurance policy should Brissett get injured. Currently, the Patriots have a pair of rookies down their depth chart with Maye and sixth-rounder Joe Milton III.

Given the Patriots failed to protect Brissett through three games — New England ranks 28th in pass-blocking grade and allowed 15 quarterback hits in Week 3 — the talking point continues to gain traction. Those who believe the Patriots should add a (second) contingency plan point to the beating Brissett took thus far. It would be better long-term if a veteran journeyman took the next beating rather than Maye, they say.

“That’s not in our plans at this current time,” Mayo said. “At this current time, we’re just not looking to add any pieces at that spot.”

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It speaks to how the organization feels about Maye’s development. He continues to receive 30% of first-team reps in practice in addition to scout team reps. Mayo said Maye has looked good in practice and appreciates the way he’s approached the behind-the-scenes work.

“Drake is getting a ton of reps on the show team,” Mayo said. “He’s approached that process the right way. He doesn’t want to know what the defense is doing, doesn’t want to know the coverage. He’s going out there going through his reads.”

Maye made his regular-season debut against the New York Jets in garbage time of New England’s Week 3 loss. The third overall pick was sacked twice and nearly threw an interception on his first professional pass. But he also showed things during a 16-play drive that led the offense into the red zone for the first time all game.

Those four-plus minutes helped Maye get his feet wet. Well-connected NFL insiders have since speculated Maye’s time is coming.

Nuggets like what Mayo dropped Wednesday seem to indicate the same.