Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said rookie Drake Maye “outplayed” veteran Jacoby Brissett in the preseason but he is still not ready to name a starting quarterback.
“What I will say is this is a true competition and I would say, at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby,” the New England coach said during Monday morning’s appearance on WEEI. “Now, in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp. And, we’ll see where we end up. But, those are the conversations that will happen here over the next couple of days.”
Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 192 yards and a touchdown in three preseason games. Brissett completed just 35.7 percent of his attempts for 36 yards and an interception.
Maye also rushed seven times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
During a conference call with reporters Monday, Mayo said he hopes to name a starter “over the next couple of days.”
“I think there are multiple factors that kind of have to go into this decision,” Mayo said. “One is the total body of work, whether we’re talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. And now, I’d also say oftentimes we forget about just the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision that we have to make here in the near future.
“But I’m happy with the way those guys are battling it out, and hopefully over the next couple of days, we can name the starter and get the season rolling.”
The Patriots open the regular season on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only other NFL team that had not named a starting quarterback as of Monday morning.
