NFL Insider Shares New Info About Patriots’ Plan For Drake Maye

Drake Maye won’t be the Patriots’ starting quarterback in Week 4, but it sounds like he will be at some point later this season.

Maye made his NFL debut much earlier than most anticipated. The No. 3 overall pick received his first taste of professional football late in New England’s blowout loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night. Maye wasn’t overly impressive at MetLife Stadium, but he took his licks and didn’t seem intimidated by the primetime stage.

Four days after Maye’s debut, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer shed light on the Patriots’ approach to the rookie’s position on the quarterback depth chart.

“My understanding is that the plan is for that to happen at some point in 2024 — this won’t be a full-on redshirt year,” Breer wrote in a column published Monday. “They’ll be patient. But Maye’s progress has gotten to the point where the expectation is he’ll earn his way on to the field relatively soon, with the one caveat being that the Patriots’ offense will have to show (as it did against the Cincinnati Bengals, then didn’t against the Jets) that it can play the way it needs to in order to support a rookie quarterback.”

Breer’s report was in lockstep with recent comments from Patriots coaches. Jerod Mayo showcased patience with Maye by sticking with Jacoby Brissett as QB1, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made it clear that he believes the 22-year-old stands to benefit more from watching than playing at this juncture.

New England would be doing itself well by making sure no stone goes unturned before Maye is promoted to starter. Because as the Carolina Panthers recently minded the football world, a once-promising QB situation can go south quickly if it’s not properly managed.