Jacoby Brissett Makes First Comments on Patriots Drafting Drake Maye

Now that the 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, New England Patriots fans are wondering one thing: who'll be the Week 1 starting quarterback next season?

After all, the Patriots QB room looks a lot different (and better) than it did last year. New England opened free agency by signing veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett to a one-year deal before using the draft's third-overall selection on the promising Drake Maye, providing a major upgrade over the Mac Jones-Bailey Zappe tandem.

When it comes to the starting QB job, on one hand, Brissett has a clear experience advantage. On the other hand, Maye has the higher ceiling of the two, and Pats fans are dying to see what the rookie gunslinger can do at the next level.

Fortunately, when it comes to a potential QB competition this season, Brissett isn't worried about his rookie counterpart, In fact, he's more than open to the idea.

Patriots News: Jacoby Brissett Open to QB Competition

On Wednesday, Brissett spoke to ESPN's Mike Reiss about competing with Maye for New England's starting QB job. The 31-year-old veteran acknowledged that competition with the rookie is "out of my control" but that he's looking forward to him and Maye bringing out the best in each other.

Brissett even went as far as saying that he was "excited" about Maye's arrival, as well as the rest of the Patriots' latest rookie class. In addition to the former UNC quarterback, New England also added the likes of Washington's Ja'Lynn Polk, Penn State's Caedan Wallace, and Texas A&M's Layden Robinson last week.

It's great that Brissett is positive about the situation because there's nothing wrong with a little competition. Regardless of who emerges victorious, the Patriots will be better for it knowing that they have the better QB leading them forward.

For now, you can argue that the competition is Brissett's to lose. For starters, he's making a whopping $8 million next season, which is a lot for a backup QB. The Patriots likely knew they were drafting another arm when they signed the veteran, meaning they likely could've gone with a cheaper option if they were looking for a mentor who wouldn't be playing any games.

There's also nothing wrong with giving Maye a year or two to develop. It's no secret that New England's offense was a disaster last year, from the offensive line to the wide receiver group. It isn't unfathomable to imagine that the Patriots might want to wait and see how the offense looks before throwing Maye into the fire. The last thing any team wants to do is screw over their new franchise QB by putting him in a losing situation.

But even if Maye exceeds expectations and wins the summer QB battle, that's also a positive outcome. Not only would it mean that the 21-year-old phenom is NFL-ready, but it'd also mean that the Patriots would have one of the league's more reliable backups in Brissett just in case Maye falters as the season goes on.

Whether it's Brissett or Maye leading the charge, time will tell if either QB can lead the Patriots to more success than they saw in 2023. For now, FanDuel Sportsbook has set the franchise's projected win total at 5.5 (with the Under being favored) for the 2024 NFL season.

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