Did Mac Jones Situation Impact Drake Maye Ramp Up? Jerod Mayo Responds

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo never looked through the windshield at Drake Maye while allowing Mac Jones to be in the rearview mirror.

“I didn’t really think about it that way,” Mayo told reporters at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, per a team-provided video.

Maye will start the second game of his career against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Jones, who the Patriots drafted 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, will be on the Jaguars sideline. New England traded Jones to Jacksonville this offseason and he’s served as the backup to Trevor Lawrence.

“I think every situation with a first-year quarterback is it’s own unique situation,” Mayo said. “I’m good friends with Mac, I think he’s a great guy, and hopefully he turns into a great quarterback.”

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Jones fizzled out in New England after a promising rookie season in which he reached the Pro Bowl as an AFC alternate. The Alabama product was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team and ranked in the NFL Top 100 (No. 85) entering his second season.

Coaching certainly played a role in Jones taking a step back as Bill Belichick tasked Matt Patricia and Joe Judge to replace offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. That was a colossal failure, as Patriots fans are well-aware. Bill O’Brien replaced that operation but couldn’t revive Jones’ career in 2023, the 26-year-old benched for Bailey Zappe multiple times. Zappe was released during the offseason.

New England’s new regime has taken it much slower with Maye, the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Maye didn’t start until Week 6 against the Houston Texans, and that followed a preseason in which the organization had training wheels on the North Carolina product.

Maye’s developmental plan, though, didn’t have anything to do with the Jones situation blowing up in the franchise’s face, according to Mayo.