Jacoby Brissett is the starting quarterback of the Patriots. For now.
Whenever the change comes, the Patriots are getting ready for it. On Friday, coach Jerod Mayo confirmed that the first-team reps are being shared between Brissett and his eventual successor, Drake Maye.
It’s a 70-30 split.
“It’s not a secret,” Mayo said. “We have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, I would say the starter gets, let’s say, 95 percent of the reps and the backup doesn’t. With this, it’s a little bit different. We had a conversation, how do we — I guess the struggle is, how do you get your starting quarterback prepared for the game and also continue to develop the guy in the background, which is Drake? So, it is like a 70-30 split. . . . We’re very thoughtful. When we talk about [how] we have a development plan for Drake, that’s part of it. I try not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but [Maye] still takes reps with the starters. He does a good job on the [scout] team as well. He’s doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”
Mayo also praised Brissett for accepting the inevitability that Maye will play.
“Since day one, I’ve always said that [Brissett is] a true professional,” Mayo said. “I’ve always said that he’s a great mentor, not only for Drake, but the other quarterback in the room in [Joe] Milton. He understands. Look, he’s a professional. He’s won games in this league. He understands that we drafted Drake as the No. 3 pick in the draft, and looking out the front windshield, at some point in time — I don’t know when that time will come — he’ll have to go out there and play. Just seeing the relationship in the quarterback room has been special for me. It is very hard. When we talk about checking your ego at the door, I would say that Jacoby is one of those guys that is egoless. He wants to do what’s best for the team, not about him. Whether he throws for 150 yards or 350 yards, he’s very consistent and just a true professional.”
It’s easy to make the shift if the Patriots are struggling. If they keep winning, it becomes a tougher proposition to bench Brissett and ride with the rookie.
Regardless, the Patriots are working to get Maye ready for his debut. Which presumably will come at some point in the next 16 games.