NFL Insider Shares New Intel On Patriots’ Quarterback Situation

Many thought the Patriots were resigned to a rebuilding season in 2024, with a focus on development rather than wins.

That might not be the case, however.

In an ESPN column published Wednesday morning, NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler were each asked to identify the starting quarterback they believe will be benched next. Despite other candidates to choose from — including Gardner Minshew and maybe even Trevor Lawrence — Fowler targeted Jacoby Brissett.

“I’ll go with New England,” Fowler wrote. “The Drake Maye chatter will only mushroom from here. And the sense I got all offseason was that Jacoby Brissett would be the starter but might need to win enough games to keep the job.”

We learned last week that the Patriots don’t plan on keeping Maye in bubble wrap as a rookie. New England kind of threw the 22-year-old in the fire last Thursday when he entered a lopsided affair behind a porous offensive line in primetime. Maye didn’t seem intimidated by the raucous environment, which might have given Jerod Mayo and company even more confidence in the North Carolina product.

Very few teams in NFL history have had the discipline and luxury to keep a highly drafted quarterback on the shelf for an extended period of time. So the transition to Maye might happen sooner rather than later.