The Patriots entered Thursday as the lone NFL team not to have a confirmed Week 1 starter at quarterback.
Now, they do. They are rolling with nine-year veteran Jacoby Brissett over the No. 3 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye.
The Patriots have named Jacoby Brissett the starting quarterback. pic.twitter.com/laGIBFzx6R
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 29, 2024
New England's decision comes just a few days after first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said Maye had outplayed Brissett during the preseason. The stats back that up, as Brissett struggled with his accuracy in limited playing time while Maye flashed during the Patriots' preseason finale against the Commanders.
| Jacoby Brissett | Stat | Drake Maye |
| 5/14 (35.7%) | Comp/Att. (%) | 21/34 (61.8%) |
| 36 | Passing yards | 192 |
| 0 | Pass TDs | 1 |
| 1 | INTs | 0 |
| 2.6 | YPA | 5.6 |
| 0 | Carries | 7 |
| 0 | Rushing yards | 32 |
| 0 | Rush TDs | 1 |
Even so, the Patriots' decision isn't too much of a surprise. Mayo also directly said that Maye was the team's second-best quarterback entering the 2024 season while New England's front office has preached patience when asked about throwing the touted draft pick directly into the fire.
And Mayo further detailed that Brissett's body of work dating back to the spring as well as his experience in New England's system made him the right choice as the team's Week 1 starting quarterback.
"I think it's important to remember, what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said, per ESPN. "I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also you're trying to build something special. So to me, that was a challenge."
Starting Brissett makes sense for the Patriots, considering their unsettled offensive line and their lack of a true No. 1 receiver. They can give their offense time to gel with Brissett leading the charge; and if New England struggles with him starting, the team can eventually give Maye a shot to prove himself.
Here's a look at New England's quarterback depth chart entering the 2024 NFL season.
MORE: Ranking the top 32 QBs for the 2024 NFL season, from Patrick Mahomes to Gardner Minshew
Patriots QB depth chart
1. Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots signed Brissett during the 2024 offseason to add veteran depth to their mostly barren quarterback depth chart. They intended to make him the team's starter while allowing any rookie signal-caller selected to learn under his tutelage.
Brissett thought that was the perfect role for him, as he told NFL Network in August.
"I'm the perfect person to mentor the guys, but I'm also the perfect person to start," he said, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Now, Brissett will get a chance to do that. He'll play in Week 1 against the Bengals and will look to improve upon his 18-30 career record as a starter. He has completed 61.3 percent of his career passes for 10,574 yards, 51 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
MORE: Jerod Mayo explains why Patriots named Jacoby Brissett starting QB
2. Drake Maye
Many will be disappointed that Maye didn't win the starting job out of the chute because of his upside. That said, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt acknowledged the difficulty of starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 shortly after New England announced its decision.
"That's the hardest position in sports is a quarterback. Especially for a rookie guy coming in and not seeing all the defense that they're going to see in the NFL," Van Pelt said, per CLNS' Taylor Kyles. "It's tough. It's hard to transition in and it takes a little bit of time. So I think we're going to be as patient as we can with that process."
Giving Maye time to learn on the sidelines is a sensible choice. Not only should his understanding of the offense processing speed improve with time, but his offensive supporting cast should also improve. Notably, the Patriots are still figuring out their best alignment on the offensive line, so that unit could be better — or at least more cohesive — should Maye draw into the starting lineup over Brissett later in the season.
Maye will almost certainly play at some point during his rookie season barring a breakout season from Brissett. Until then, fans will have to hope that Van Pelt and Co. can help him continue the progress he made throughout the preseason as the team's No. 2 quarterback.
MORE: Drake Maye flashes 'great composure', scores first TD in second preseason game
3. Joe Milton
The Patriots unconventionally chose two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, as they spent a sixth-round selection on Milton despite choosing Maye No. 3 overall.
Milton is a toolsy prospect from Tennessee who has a cannon arm and great athleticism on his 6-5, 246-pound frame. He demonstrated his arm strength and mobility throughout the preseason, though his accuracy remained spotty. He completed just 11 of 30 passes (36.7 percent) but racked up 152 yards and a touchdown through the air and 54 rushing yards on 11 scrambles.
Milton showed enough as a raw playmaker that New England opted to keep him as the team's No. 3 quarterback over Bailey Zappe. It will take time for the 24-year-old to become a more efficient passer — and, more specifically, to develop his touch-throwing abilities — but he's an exciting developmental project to keep behind Brissett and Maye.