Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has made it clear that Jacoby Brissett is New England’s current starting quarterback.
But after selecting Drake Maye in this year’s draft, the No. 3 overall pick will get an opportunity to take snaps with the starters at some point during training camp.
“[I]t’s the second week of training camp,” Mayo said in his Thursday press conference. “We have a game here a week from now. He’ll have an opportunity to go out there and participate with, if you want to call them ‘The Ones,’ but we mix and match.”
Dispatches from Patriots camp have noted that Maye has been up and down in his first training camp so far. But Mayo said he likes the way the quarterback has handled the different elements of camp.
“I would say all the rookies are battling through things,” Mayo said. “It’s a different scheme. It’s a different state. There’s just so much change for these guys. But what you want to see as those guys go through adversity, you want to see them handle it the right way. You don’t want to see the explosions on the sideline. You don’t want to see any of that. It’s all about the next page and turning the page, and that’s what I appreciate.
“I got this feeling when we met with Drake in Carolina,” Mayo added. “Just his overall mental toughness and competitiveness, and he understands that it’s not always going to be clean. I will say this, he’s handled it very well. I know that the players really enjoy working with him, and he’s a competitor.”
Maye is slated to make his preseason debut next Thursday night when the Patriots host the Panthers.