Jerod Mayo made clear that Jacoby Brissett is the most NFL-ready quarterback on the team, but he is also not ruling out the option that Drake Maye could earn his way into the starting position opening day.
Jacoby Brissett is the New England Patriots' starting quarterback as training camp begins this week at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.
"Coming out of the spring, Jacoby looks like the starting quarterback," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "That being said, he'll have competition."
Mayo also noted that Brissett is the "most pro-ready guy we have" on the roster. Brissett is joined by Bailey Zappe and rookies Drake Maye and Joe Milton on the team's QB depth chart.
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Even if Brissett is the No. 1 quarterback right now, that is not set in stone, and a lot could change over the next month-and-a-half as the internal competition at the position heats up with camp practices and preseason reps ahead of the Sept. 8 regular season opener.
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Brissett is preparing to be the starter, but as a veteran, he knows full well that kind of role has to be earned.
"Obviously that's the ultimate goal. I don't take things like that lightly," Brissett told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "But I understand this league and I understand how every day is a challenge. I look forward to that and I feed off that. I'm looking forward to going out there and proving it every day."
Brissett signed a one-year contract worth $8 million with the Patriots during free agency back in March. It's his second stint with the Patriots -- they drafted him in the third round in 2016 before trading him to the Indianapolis Colts in September of 2017 for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett.
At some point we could see Maye become the starting quarterback. The former University of North Carolina star was selected by the Patriots with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. His development is crucial to the franchise's short- and long-term success. But he'll have to beat out Brissett for the starting job, and the 31-year-old veteran has 79 games of pro experience over eight seasons.
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Brissett played in just three games for the Washington Commanders last season. But in 2022, he threw for 2,608 yards with 12 touchdowns and six interceptions over 16 games with the Cleveland Browns. His offensive coordinator in Cleveland was Alex Van Pelt, who was hired by the Patriots earlier this year to be their new OC.
Brissett is confident that the relationship he's already built with Van Pelt will benefit both him and the offense as a whole.
"I would say I probably know the offense a little bit better than a lot of people on the team right now," Brissett said. "It not only helps myself, but it helps him as far as making sure that when he's talking to tight ends, I can go talk to the wide receivers and he knows the message is the same.
"I think that definitely helps, and being able to relay some of the same messages that when I was in his offense previously that I know he's trying to carry over here. I think it'll help."
