How Patriots Coaches View Drake Maye Plan After Rookie’s Debut

The Patriots offense was a mess, and Drake Maye’s cameo at the end of “Thursday Night Football” ignited a quarterback discussion for New England.

Jacoby Brissett struggled to get anything going in front of a weak offensive line. The 31-year-old threw 98 yards in the Patriots’ 24-3 loss to the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium.

Maye made his NFL debut in the final minutes of the matchup, and the rookie threw for 22 yards while taking two sacks and facing five pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Mayo affirmed that Brissett was the starter despite seemingly opening the door for Maye, who will remain on the 70/30 plan for starter’s reps in practice.

“Right now, I would say it’s still status quo,” Mayo told reporters, per team-provided transcript. “I said it earlier. Jacoby’s still our starting quarterback, and we’ve got to be ready to support him. There are 11 guys out there on offense, so it’s everyone. So to answer your question, that’s under consideration at this time.”

Mayo credited the rookie for being ready to come in at the end of the game and thought it was encouraging to see him get live reps. However, the coaching staff was in lockstep on Maye’s development plan.

“I still think it’s by watching,” offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt told reporters on what’s the best course for Maye, per Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sports Hub. “There’s a lot to be learned left, and that’s where I’ll stand on that.”

Similar to Mayo, Van Pelt liked what he saw from Maye and added that was “encouraged about his future,” per Karen Guregian of MassLive.

Maye said after Thursday’s game he’d be ready whenever his number was called, but he and fans will have to be patient for his day as the starting quarterback.