The New England Patriots are sticking to their plan at quarterback.
Jacoby Brissett will be the Patriots' starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed in a press conference Thursday morning.
"We have decided -- or I have decided -- that Jacoby Brissett will be our starting quarterback this season," Mayo said. "As an organization, we're 100 percent behind Jacoby."
Mayo said he spoke to Brissett and rookie Drake Maye both "separately and together" about his decision, which he revealed to his players in a team meeting Thursday morning before his press conference.
"There are a lot of factors that led to this choice," Mayo added. "I think the hard part is thinking in the short term and the long term at the same time. As an organization, though, we feel like Jacoby gives us our best chance to win right now."
Maye made great strides during training camp and the preseason, to the point where Mayo admitted Maye actually "outplayed" Brissett. But the Patriots ultimately sided with Brissett's experience over Maye's upside, opting to take their time developing the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
New England's decision to start Brissett appears to conflict with Mayo's assertion earlier this summer that whichever quarterback performs best would win the job. Brissett completed just 5 of 14 passes for 36 yards with an interception in the end zone over three preseason games, while Maye completed 21 of 34 attempts for 192 passing yards with a touchdown, while adding 32 rushing yards on seven attempts with an additional score.
NFL
Still, it's not surprising to see Brissett get the nod. The 31-year-old veteran boasts eight years of NFL experience with five NFL teams and appears to be the preferred QB of offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt, who worked with Brissett in 2022 on the Cleveland Browns.
"There's certain things in this offense that Jacoby, having played in this offense, understands some of the tools you can use to get you out of certain situations, pressure situations, things like that, that Drake is still learning," Van Pelt said last week.
"... Jacoby has tons of experience, not just in the NFL but in this system, and we've won games with him in Cleveland, so I feel comfortable with his understanding (of the offense)."
While Brissett will take the field in Week 1, don't expect Maye to fade to the background. The UNC product made a very strong case this preseason that he's ready for NFL action and performed well despite playing in front of a porous offensive line. If Brissett falters even slightly, the calls for Maye to make his NFL debut will grow louder.
The question for Mayo, Van Pelt and the Patriots is whether they're willing to risk hindering Maye's development by playing him too early in front of a shoddy offensive line. And at the moment, it appears we have our answer: They want to play the long game with their rookie QB.
