Aaron Rodgers Compares His Development To Patriots’ Drake Maye Plan

Since he was drafted third overall, there’s been furious debate among New England Patriots fans regarding when Drake Maye should start, but former players largely have similar views on the topic.

It was tough for fans not to envy Jayden Daniels’ breakout and the growing development of Caleb Williams with the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears, respectively. “Why not us?” That was what some Patriots fans decried, but head coach Jerod Mayo stood firm through four weeks that Jacoby Brissett was the starter.

Rob Gronkowski and Drew Bledsoe were among former Patriots stars who agreed that Maye shouldn’t be rushed into the spotlight. Aaron Rodgers had a brief interaction with the Patriots rookie after the New York Jets beat New England in Week 3, and he offered his unique insight on whether rookie signal-callers should start right away.

“I go back to the patience with coach Mayo out there and just to have the patience to have his kid develop, to have Drake develop. Jacoby’s a proven starter in the league for a long time,” Rodgers said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “My situation was very rare, and I would say the same thing about Jordan (Love). I got to and he got to sit behind future Hall of Famers, who can show what it looks like, can allow you to learn without having out thrown in there or have your confidence shredded at all, to work on your game, to learn defenses, to become the master of the offense. And then in spots, to play. There’s preseason, an injury here and there. You start to gain confidence with that, and then when you hit the ground running, you got to go. And that’s why last year was a make-or-break year (for Love) just like 2008 was for me.

“… That’s just not the game plan anymore because it’s such a reactionary league from owners and fans where it’s like, ‘We lost, put the other guy in. We lost. Fire this guy, get rid of this guy.’ That’s not a great way to operate. If you’re an owner, you hire the guys who you think can get the job done. You trust them. And if you’re a GM and you hire a head coach, you trust him to get the job done and you set the plan. And if the plan is good enough Day 1, it should be good after Week 4, should be good after Week 10, should be good enough in Year 2. ‘Is this the right time to play this guy?’ When he’s ready, when the system is ready, when the guy’s around him are ready, then play him. Sometimes that’s Year 1, or sometimes you don’t even have a choice. …”

New England’s hand could be forced if Brissett suffers a serious injury playing behind a terrible offensive line, which is a real concern for the team.

The Patriots weren’t expected to be a good team, but fans still grew impatient with the new coaching staff and wanted to see Maye as soon as possible. Time will tell when the right moment comes for Maye to succeed Brissett as the starter.