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The NFL season is about to start, and teams are busy finalizing their 53-man rosters. Some teams, like the New England Patriots, are still figuring out who their starting quarterback will be.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo hasn’t decided yet.
This has left fans and media puzzled, especially since first-round pick Drake Maye has been doing better than Jacoby Brissett in practice and preseason games. So why the delay?
Former Patriots running back James White recently shared some insights on this situation. White explained that the decision might take longer than expected and may not align with what fans think should happen.
“Mayo said in his press conference that in a straight-up competition, Drake Maye is outperforming Jacoby Brissett, but he’s still the second-best quarterback on the roster,” White mentioned on the “Money Down” podcast. “People were like, ‘That doesn’t make sense.’ It makes perfect sense. When there’s a competition, not the best player can win the competition. That’s just the nature of sports. It don’t matter how talented you are, how good you are. Whoever shows up during that competition could go out there and win it.”
Mayo doesn’t want to rush Maye into starting before he’s ready. If they push him too soon, it could hurt his development or even cause setbacks.
Even if Maye is better than Brissett, Joe Milton, and the now-cut Bailey Zappe, he won’t start until he’s fully prepared. The Patriots would rather lose games than risk damaging their young player’s growth.
Mayo had a plan for this season based on other teams’ strategies: let Maye sit behind Brissett to learn and then start when ready. But Maye surprised everyone by performing exceptionally well right away.
Patriots fans might be upset if Brissett starts instead of Maye. This doesn’t mean Brissett is better; it just means the team is being cautious with Maye’s development.
