FOXBORO, Mass. — Jacoby Brissett knows the deal.
He knows New England Patriots fans can’t wait to see him replaced by rookie quarterback Drake Maye. And he knows the front office, with Robert Kraft leading the way, would love nothing more than for Maye to seize control of the starting job in training camp and inject needed excitement into the franchise.
Brissett got the memo. But through his words and his play in practice, he’s showing he has very different plans for this season.
Jacoby Brissett Is Outplaying Drake Maye in Patriots Training Camp
It’s too early to declare the Patriots’ quarterback competition over. But through five practices, including one padded session, it isn’t close.
Brissett has taken all the reps with the top offensive line and seen the vast majority of action against the top defense. Until those two things change, Maye doesn’t have a chance.
Brissett also has outplayed Maye across the board. Though Maye, the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has shown flashes of his immense potential, he’s been erratic throughout camp and entered Tuesday having endured his two worst practices as a pro. His issues with footwork, patience, and diagnosis plays have been as advertised.
The Patriots also have kept the training wheels on the 21-year-old, who didn’t run a pro-style offense in college. Maye was more of a Checkdown Charlie than a Josh Allen-esque gunslinger over the first five practices, with overly conservative playmaking evaluation difficult.
In his first 11-on-11 period on Monday, Maye had three handoffs and a sack. Later on, he reacted to an all-out blitz by taking the snap, immediately running to his right, and throwing the ball out of bounds. He also threw a bad interception in 7-on-7s. Those three anecdotes are accurate snapshots of Maye’s camp to this point.
By contrast, Brissett has been exactly what he’s supposed to be: a strong leader, superior with his pre-snap reads, and, perhaps most importantly, mostly turnover-free.
Brissett has made better throws with fewer mistakes than Maye during team drills. He’s also winning at the line of scrimmage; on Monday, he checked into a different run play and celebrated after Rhamondre Stevenson broke free for a big gain.
Brissett also hasn’t allowed the QB battle to prevent him from encouraging and coaching his understudies.
Drop it in the 🧺@JBrissett12 | @Humble_Ty19 pic.twitter.com/MXrfrtcMmg
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) July 29, 2024
Does Brissett look like a Pro Bowler? Of course not. But he’s rock-solid and dependable, which is exactly what the Patriots need at this stage of their rebuild.
The offense just looks better with Brissett under center than it does with Maye, who’ll throw a bomb to Ja’Lynn Polk on one play then a pick-six to Matthew Judon on the next.
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Patriots coaches, including Jerod Mayo, repeatedly have reaffirmed Brissett as the projected Week 1 starter. On the eve of the first training camp practice, Mayo said Brissett was New England’s most “pro-ready” quarterback.
It wasn’t lip service. It wasn’t an attempt to take pressure off Maye before his inevitable usurping of Brissett.
It was an accurate assessment, one reinforced by Brissett and Maye during the first five practices.
Why Brissett Believes He’s ‘Perfect’ QB for Patriots
There’s a prevailing — and justified — belief that Brissett is here to provide veteran leadership to Maye, to set an on- and off-field example for someone who’s supposed to be the future of the franchise. If he wins some games on the way, great, but the bigger victory would be setting Maye up for success.
Brissett, like the Patriots power brokers who signed him, believes he’s the right man for that job. But he also wants everyone to know he’s much more than a seat-warmer.
“Two things can be true,” Brissett said Monday on the “Up & Adams” show. “I can be perfect for the situation. But also, I’m the perfect guy to start, too. Like, don’t take that away from me. I fully expect myself to be the starter as long as I am here.
“Whatever happens outside of that, that has nothing to do with me. But that doesn’t mean I (lower) myself for somebody else. That just means, I’m not too big enough for the situation, to where I can go out there and perform, but also go out there and help my teammates and help lead this team in the right way.”
#Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett on being labeled the 'perfect guy' for this situation with rookie QB Drake Maye… 💪🔊
"Two things can be true, I can be the perfect guy for this situation but also I'm the PERFECT guy to start." @heykayadams @JBrissett12 @Patriots pic.twitter.com/fL0flJPpc5
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) July 29, 2024
On leading Maye and fellow rookie Joe Milton III, Brissett added: “I’m a teammate first. I’m going out there trying to be a good teammate. You don’t have to pay me to be a good teammate. That’s just who I am as a person.”
If you’re a Patriots fan, you should love those comments from Brissett. He’s fully embracing the role of bridge quarterback without lowering expectations for himself. As someone who’s started 48 games in the NFL, he knows he’s capable of killing two birds with one stone.
Will that mindset translate to Brissett and the Patriots outperforming expectations in 2024? That remains to be seen.
But right now, with Maye looking far from NFL-ready, New England is fortunate to have Brissett leading its quarterback room.