Patriots Reportedly Taking Rare Approach To Drake Maye’s Development

Drake Maye isn’t a typical backup quarterback.

Maye is the future of the Patriots franchise, a billing he took on when New England selected him third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 22-year-old will have to wait for his chance to lead the Patriots offense, but he reportedly is receiving opportunities typically not afforded to understudies.

CBS’ Evan Washburn, who covered New England’s season-opening win in Cincinnati, pulled back the curtain on how the Patriots are developing Maye while Jacoby Brissett occupies the top spot on the depth chart.

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“During the week, he (Maye) gets 30% of the first-team reps,” Washburn said on CBS Sports. “For those that don’t know, a backup in a normal NFL situation — if they get 5-10% of first-team reps, that would be a lot. Those are valued extremely high by the starter.”

Washburn added: “When he’s running the scout team, he’s not getting a heads-up of what he’s going to face. So, it’s not a situation where he’s there just to help out the first-team defense. They want to use that as live game reps, if you will, for Drake Maye for what appears to be a top-tier defense. They’re doing their best to give Drake Maye an environment that’s really going to improve him while also acknowledging Jacoby is the better guy right now to try to get them wins.”

The Patriots seem to be in a great spot with their quarterback situation. Week 1 suggested Brissett can keep New England competitive, which will diminish urgency to hand the keys over to Maye. And the longer the rookie can learn and develop at a comfortable pace, the better.

Time will tell when Maye’s number is called, but many signs point to the North Carolina product being fully ready to go whenever that time comes.