Will the New England Patriots replace quarterback Jacoby Brissett with backup Drake Maye?

By the time New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo decided to remove starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the Game on Thursday night, it was clear that the team’s opponents, the New York Jets, were well on their way to a Week 3 win. Of course, that hasn’t stopped rumors from circulating which is why the Pats’ coach has now cleared the air.

Jerod Mayo addresses Jacoby Brissett’s replacement

Much has been made about the New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo’s decision to replace starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett during the team’s 24-3 loss to the New York Jets. It was a choice that saw first-round rookie Drake Maye make his debut under center albeit one that he will likely want to forget. Of course, with the game well and truly lost by then, there were no fingers being pointed at the fledgling signal caller, but there were definitely questions about whether the move was a sign of things to come.

To that end, it came as no surprise that Mayo was quick to address doubts about who would be starting for the team when Week 4′s date with the San Francisco 49ers rolls around. “Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he’s not the quarterback,” Mayo said at the start of his press conference. “I thought last night he showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit. On protection breakdowns, [he] tried to do what we ask them to do, but I would say just as a team, as a coaching staff, we just got to be better.” Continuing, Mayo acknowledged that things can change but once again emphasized the point that they won’t at this time. He later added: “Look, everything is always under evaluation, but just so I’m clear, Jacoby is still our starting quarterback until I say he’s not.”

Now, what should be said here is that while it was Brissett who was removed in favor of the younger Maye, the Pats’ entire offense left a lot to be desired, evidenced by the fact that Brissett’s 12 of 18 pass completions were only good enough for 98 yards. Indeed, the Patriots were stagnant at best and downright awful at worst. On numerous occasions, Brissett found himself under threat due to an offensive line that appeared to have leaks all over, evidenced by the five sacks that he suffered. As for Maye, the No. 3 overall pick at the 2024 NFL Draft, entered the Game with less than five minutes to play in the Game and managed to complete four of his eight passes for 22 yards, but he was also sacked twice. Again, not a good look.

“He’s another guy who has athleticism,” Mayo said when asked for his thoughts about Maye’s performance. “He can make all the throws. Coming off the bench at that time is always tough, no matter what position but especially at the quarterback position. I thought he handled himself well and tried to put a drive together and something to build off of. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and get some live reps.” Interestingly, it was just last week when Mayo disclosed that Maye was taking approximately 30% of the first-team reps during practice while Brissett handles the remaining 70% as the starter. Asked on Friday whether that could change going forward, the first-year coach was noncommital. “Right now, I would say it’s still status quo,” Mayo said. “Kind of said it earlier, Jacoby’s still our starting quarterback, and we just got to be ready to support him. ... So to answer your question, that’s not under consideration at this time.” At 1-2, the Pats will need to sort themselves out quickly which undoubtedly involves a reliable quarterback. Stay tuned.