Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that Drake Maye is the team’s new starting quarterback at his Wednesday’s press conference.
Word that the Patriots would be going with Maye over Jacoby Brissett broke on Tuesday and Mayo said he was a “little bit” disappointed that happened before he had a chance to tell the entire team of his plans, but that he’s confident that Maye’s continued improvement since being drafted third overall in April makes him the right choice for the job.
“Going forward, I think Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo said. “He’s been getting better every single week, as I’ve said before. At the end of training camp, he was actually trending at a very high rate and that has continued through the early part of the season.”
Mayo said he believes Maye’s “athleticism will definitely open up more plays” on offense than what was possible with Brissett as the starter, but praised Brissett as a “warrior” and said he’s confident that the veteran is going to continue to carry himself as a professional in his new role.
Mayo also said that it was “solely my decision” to make the change, but that ownership, the coaching staff, and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf were all on board with making the move before this Sunday’s game against the Texans.