NFL Insider Sheds Light On When Drake Maye Could Start For Patriots

The Patriots' quarterback situation will be worth monitoring all season long.

Jacoby Brissett, who New England signed at the outset of NFL free agency in March, will open the campaign as the team's starter. But the future of the franchise centers around Drake Maye, a very talented rookie who impressed his coaches over the summer.

The transition from Brissett to Maye is only a matter of time, but the timetable for a signal-caller switch is pretty unclear. NFL Media's Ian Rapoport tried to add some clarity to it all Sunday morning.

"As far as when he's (Maye) going to play, they want to put him in a position to succeed," Rapoport said on NFL Network. "They also are not going to put him out there unless that he is the guy that gives the team the best chance to win. From my understanding, that means they're going to make sure the offensive line is good enough to put him out there, the skilled position group -- it's all set for Maye to come in right away and have success. Probably going to be several weeks, at least."

New England improving its supporting cast might take longer than it does for Maye to develop. The Patriots swung and missed on multiple high-end talents before the start of the season, and it's going to be tough to make Foxboro, Mass. an appealing destination once again. Jerod Mayo and company will need to do a great job working with their homegrown players and hope to thrive in drafts.

All of that said, you can only keep Maye in bubble wrap for so long. Eventually you're going to need to see what you have in your highly drafted QB.