Patriots Name Jacoby Brissett Starting QB, Rookie Drake Maye Benched

The New England Patriots have named Jacoby Brissett as their starting quarterback for Week 1 of the 2024 season, sending rookie Drake Maye to the bench for the time being. Brissett played for the Patriots as a rookie in 2016 and has since earned a reputation as a reliable journeyman quarterback.

Maye, who was selected with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, will begin the season as Brissett’s backup, ahead of third-stringer Joe Milton III. While Maye has been described as “impressive” by the Patriots coaching staff, head coach Jerod Mayo said that Brissett’s experience will benefit the team while the rookie continues to develop.

“I feel like we’re all on the same page from an organizational perspective,” Mayo said. “There were a lot of factors that led to this choice. I think the hard part is thinking in the short term and the long term at the same time. As an organization, though, we feel like Jacoby gives us the best chance to win right now.”

Of the six quarterbacks drafted in the first round this year, Maye is just one of two who is healthy but will not start Week 1. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix all earned the starting job. J.J. McCarthy likely would have started for the Vikings but suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month. Maye’s only fellow backup will be Michael Penix Jr., who had virtually no chance of taking the starting job from newly acquired Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While it may seem like Maye is beginning his career on the back foot in comparison to his rookie peers, there is considerable evidence to suggest that giving quarterbacks time to develop behind a starter helps them in the long run.

The Patriots are especially well known for this, having allowed Tom Brady to sit behind Drew Bledsoe for nearly his entire rookie season. He led the team to a championship the following year. More recently, the team was also patient in handling quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who eventually went to the 49ers and started in the Super Bowl in 2019.

Brissett is another quarterback who did not start for the Patriots in his rookie season, and while he has not attained the success of other New England passers, he has still become a solid NFL player. While Deshaun Watson served an 11-game suspension last season, Brissett started for the Browns and did well enough to keep the team in playoff contention.

In fact, the only notable failure in Patriots quarterback development in recent memory is Mac Jones, who started for the team right out of the gate and even made it to the Pro Bowl. Jones failed to sustain this momentum in subsequent seasons and the team around him cratered. He is now backing up Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville. Maybe Maye is better off for now.