When Will Jerod Mayo Bench Jacoby Brissett and Start Drake Maye?

After Drake Maye made his NFL regular season debut on Thursday night in the final moments of a blowout loss to the New York Jets, some Patriots fans are clamoring for Maye to take over the reins at quarterback.

Maye, the third overall pick in April's NFL Draft, has been sitting behind veteran Jacoby Brissett. Brissett, a nine-year veteran, has started each of New England's first three games.

This clamoring for Maye to start is understandable, as New England's offense has been a tough watch at times with a lack of firepower, ranking 32nd in passing yards per game and 31st in points per game. Inserting Maye would also represent another stepstone in this new era of the franchise's history and a move that would generate hope and optimism for the future among Patriots fans.

In his debut, Maye completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards and added two rushes for 12 yards (including an 11-yard run) on the ground. The highlight of his first playing time was undoubtedly a 15-yard pass to DeMario Douglas to convert a fourth-and-10 in the waning moments of the fourth quarter.

On Monday, NFL insider Albert Breer stated his belief that Maye could see the field in 2024, quelling the narrative that it would be a full-on redshirt year:

"My understanding is that the plan is for that to happen at some point in 2024 — this won’t be a full-on redshirt year. They’ll be patient. But Maye’s progress has gotten to the point where the expectation is he’ll earn his way on to the field relatively soon, with the one caveat being that the Patriots’ offense will have to show (as it did against the Cincinnati Bengals, then didn’t against the Jets) that it can play the way it needs to in order to support a rookie quarterback."

- Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated

Despite Breer relaying that the Patriots' plan is for Maye to play in 2024, he also provides a pretty significant caveat that the offense needs to demonstrate its ability to support a rookie quarterback.

Through three games, New England's porous offensive line has allowed the highest QB pressure rate in the league, resulting in Mayo having an "upfront conversation" with the position group in the aftermath of the Thursday Night Football blowout. If the offense looks like it did in Week 3, that is certainly not a unit capable of supporting a rookie QB.

Across the league, young quarterbacks have struggled immensely in 2024 as they have been thrown to the wolves. The worst four quarterbacks in quarterback rating are all first or second-year QBs: Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, Bo Nix, and Caleb Williams. The struggles of those young signal callers could be a warning sign against rushing Maye.

Earlier this month, Mayo confirmed that Maye is receiving 30 percent of the first-team reps at quarterback – quite an unconventional approach. Mayo elaborated further on the team's intentionality around developing Maye:

"It's not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, the starter gets, let's say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different. 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?' And so it is like a 70-30 split."

- Jerod Mayo on Sept. 13

Estimating Maye's starting debut also raises another question: who is actually making that call? Mayo has said it is his call, but undertones in several of his comments suggest he might be one of those within the walls of Gillette Stadium who is in favor of starting Maye.

Mayo said that Maye had "outplayed" Brissett in the preseason, but quickly had to walk back that comment. Is that simply a result of Mayo needing additional media training as a first-year head coach, or did the other decision-makers in the Patriots organization get to him and tell him to fall in line?

Eliot Wolf has brought the "Packer Way" to New England, and Green Bay famously sat both Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love for multiple seasons. It feels reasonable to assume that Wolf is one of those pumping the brakes on handing the reins over to Maye.

Quarterbacks are a paramount piece of any NFL organization, so, Jonathan Kraft and/or Robert Kraft are also chiming in.

Another unfortunate reality of this decision? The Patriots might not have a chance of when they need to replace Brissett.

The veteran has taken some heavy hits and been slow to get to his feet and off the field on several occasions. Heck, despite Maye's abbreviated appearance on Thursday, the rookie was sacked twice and received his "welcome to the NFL" moment when he was rocked on only his third play.

All indications are that Drake Maye's starting debut is heavily dependent on his supporting cast on offense and a structure conducive to his success. If the offense looks like the one from Thursday night in the Meadowlands, that's a scary thought.

Still, there's plenty of football left this season with 14 games to go. Will New England's offense be the competitive unit from Weeks 1 and 2, or will it look like the embarrassment of a product from Week 3? The answer to that question could strongly dictate when Pats fans see Maye.

More Patriots news and analysis: