Throughout training camp, veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been considered most likely to be under center for the New England Patriots at the start of the 2024 NFL regular season. That said, No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye remains in the mix, with new head coach Jerod Mayo expressing that the quarterback competition “definitely isn’t over.”
“We have three more days of training camp practices. It’s our job as coaches to evaluate, and the competition isn’t over,” Mayo said after New England’s Thursday night preseason loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN.
“They have to show not only themselves and the coaches [but] also their teammates,” Mayo said.
Brissett finished Thursday’s game with 17 passing yards, one interception and a 10.7 passer rating, while completing 42.9% of his passes. Maye, on the other hand, finished with 47 passing yards and a 65.3 passer rating, completing 54.5% of his passes and, most notably, rushing for a 4-yard touchdown.
While Mayo said that Maye “definitely took a step forward,” the rookie head coach also said that the 31-year-old Brissett remains the most “pro-ready” quarterback in camp.
Lower on New England’s quarterback depth chart is third-year pro Bailey Zappe, who made eight starts in his first two NFL seasons. The Patriots also drafted Joe Milton in the sixth round, and the former Michigan and Tennessee QB has turned heads in the preseason. Milton threw a 38-yard touchdown in New England’s preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers last week.
Brissett is in his second stint with the Patriots, who drafted him in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After one season in New England, Brissett was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he played through 2020. He then had one-year stints with the Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns and Washington Commanders before signing a one-year, $8 million deal with the Patriots.
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The Patriots are expected to be near the bottom of the league this season. And that was before they recently traded four-time Pro Bowl linebacker Matthew Judon to the Atlanta Falcons for a future third-round draft pick.
New England’s last preseason game is Aug. 25, a road matchup against the Commanders, who are expected to start No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels in the regular season opener.
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New England Patriots
Jacoby Brissett
Drake Maye
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