Jerod Mayo has insisted throughout training camp and the preseason that there's an open competition at quarterback, and that whoever plays better between Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye will earn the right to start in the New England Patriots' season opener.
In that context, Mayo's comments after Sunday's preseason finale against the Washington Commanders would suggest we have a winner in the QB race.
"I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Mayo told WEEI's The Greg Hill Show on Monday morning.
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Does that mean Maye will start against the Bengals on Sept. 8? Not so fast, says Mayo.
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"Everyone wants to know who the starter is going to be. There are multiple factors that have to go into this decision," Mayo told reporters in a video conference later Monday morning. "One is the total body of work, whether we're talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp.
"And I would also say, oftentimes we forget about the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision we have to make in the near future."
Translation: There is in fact a QB competition, but the playing field isn't exactly even.
While Maye has outplayed Brissett this summer -- the rookie delivered a strong performance Sunday night highlighted by an 11-play, 88-yard drive that ended in his first touchdown pass of the preseason -- Brissett has a wealth of NFL experience that the Patriots clearly value. The 31-year-old is in his ninth season and spent a year working with Alex Van Pelt as his offensive coordinator in Cleveland, so he's better equipped (in theory) to run Van Pelt's offense in New England. (To that end, Van Pelt appears to prefer Brissett as his starting QB.)
You could argue Maye's raw ability should trump Brissett's experience. But Mayo's comments Monday suggest the QB competition is about more than what we see on the field, and that Brissett still could win the job even if Maye has performed better.
Mayo still hasn't named a starter, however, and said the decision may not be made public until after Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, the deadline for teams to trim their rosters to 53 players.
"I'm happy with the way those guys are battling it out. Hopefully over the next couple days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling," Mayo said.