The New England Patriots appear to be playing the long game with Drake Maye. So, the best-case scenario is that he progresses incrementally throughout his first minicamp, training camp and preseason while absorbing as much information as he can.
So far so good on that front, according to Jacoby Brissett.
The Patriots' veteran quarterback and most likely Week 1 starter noted Monday at Day 1 of New England's minicamp that Maye has progressed "tremendously" since the team selected him third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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"Every day he's gotten better," Brissett told reporters. "The good thing about it is, it's not like, 'Oh, I got it right now, and I'm not thinking about it.' He's just constantly trying to find ways to get better, making some nice throws out there and you're seeing his progression come alive."
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According to our Patriots Insider Phil Perry, Maye had a "strong afternoon" in Monday's minicamp session at Gillette Stadium, completing 12 of 17 passes in 11-on-11 work while showing accuracy in seven-on-seven and red-zone situations, as well.
It hasn't always been pretty for Maye, who had an up-and-down day during New England's final organized team activity (OTA) session last week. But what's most important for the Patriots is that the 21-year-old's development arrow points up over the long term, and Brissett believes Maye is on track in that regard.
"He's been here for what, three-and-a-half weeks, a month, and he's made tremendous strides, not only calling the plays, footwork, throwing the ball, (but) I guess his overall understanding of this offense," Brissett added of Maye.
The Patriots under new head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt appear committed to taking their time with Maye and avoiding a redux of Mac Jones' flameout in New England after just three seasons. So, whereas Jones started right out of the gates as a rookie, Maye very likely will sit behind Brissett until the team believes he's fully ready to take the reins.
In the meantime, however, the Patriots will be looking for Maye to make strides in the offseason program, which continues Tuesday with Day 2 of minicamp in Foxboro.