Insider Offers Insight On When Drake Maye Will Be Patriots Starter

Patriots fans got a taste of Drake Maye when he made his NFL debut in Week 3, but they might have to be patient when it comes to him being named the starter.

Head coach Jerod Mayo seemed to keep the quarterback competition open after New England's loss to the New York Jets. But he affirmed Jacoby Brissett was the starter until he said he was not.

The move made sense since Maye's short stint showed how far away the supporting cast is from helping the rookie and providing him with an easier development path. However, it was hard to stomach for some fans after seeing Jayden Daniels break out in the Washington Commanders' upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals last Monday.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport on Sunday offered an update on when Maye could be named the starter. He said on "NFL GameDay" that Brissett would remain the starter barring injury and added that Maye was "a ways away from out on the field." The NFL insider said that New England had not started the ramp-up process and Maye was still in the 70/30 split in practice.

Patriots coaches confirmed the third-overall pick was still following their development plan, but assistants and players raved about Maye's skills in practice, especially while working on the scout team.

Brissett will be the starter this Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and Maye fans will have to wait until the coaching staff feels the time is right.