Sunday officially marks the start of the Drake Maye era with the New England Patriots.
After five weeks of Jacoby Brissett keeping the seat warm, the Patriots have decided to throw their rookie quarterback into the fire to see if he can provide a spark to a 1-4 team.
Much has been said and written about Maye in New England since the Patriots made him the No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft back in April.
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There’s a lot to keep track of. So here’s a refresher on everything you should know about Maye as he gets for his first game as the starting quarterback of the Patriots.
What to know about Drake Maye
The best way to learn about Maye’s background, upbringing and backstory is by reading the amazing feature that our Chris Mason wrote about him earlier this year.
Mason went down to Maye’s hometown of Huntersville, North Carolina to talk with the quarterback’s family — including his very competitive brothers — and learn how that forged the family’s youngest son in his early days.
Why start Maye now? The Patriots needed a change
As our Karen Kuregian notes, yes, this is a panic move by the Patriots. It’s desperate.
However, the team is in a desperate situation, sitting at 1-4 with an offense that hasn’t done much of anything over the past few games.
Here’s what Jerod Mayo had to say about the decision, which he said was his to make:
“Going forward, I think now, Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo said. “He’s been getting better every single week. As I said before, at the end of training camp, he was actually trending at a very high rate. That has continued through the early part of the season. It was solely my decision to make this choice.”
We also asked Patriots coaches that same question. Here’s what offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt had to say:
“At this point, we have to find something to give us a chance to win on Sunday. We thought Drake’s development over the past first part of the season on the practice field that he was ready to step in and take over.”
So it Maye ready? We’ll find out
Our Mark Daniels dove into the ways that Maye has improved behind the scenes in recent weeks and months. Daniels noted how Maye’s work ethic impressed coaches, and how the rookie began to really push Brissett as the offseason went on.
“Now we’re in Week 6,” Maye said. “So, we had five games to sit on the sideline hearing the play calls, preparing for the game, preparing for a Thursday night game vs. preparing for a Sunday afternoon game. I feel like we’ve bounced a lot of different things throughout the week and how to prepare, just trying to tag along with Jacoby, a veteran in this league, who’s done a great job.
Here’s what Mason had to say:
I don’t think so. At a certain point, wolves are wolves, right?
How do rookie quarterbacks fare in the NFL?
Back in March, Guregian dove into the debate of sitting vs. starting a rookie quarterback, asking experts and looking at the numbers.
The experts were split, as were the numbers.
Former Patriots quarterback (and current radio host) Scott Zolak said the team doesn’t “have the luxury to have him sit back and develop.” Meanwhile, NFL commentator Solomon Wilcots said that many rookies thrust onto the field too early have “failed epically.”
How did the decision to change QBs go over in New England?
The tricky part about starting Maye is that is requires pulling Brissett from the starting lineup. The veteran returned to New England to dovwhat was really a thankless job, taking the hits and keeping the seat warm for Maye.
Then, on the team’s off day, the news came out that Maye was tabbed as the starter before Patriots coaches could inform players in person.
Brissett himself said it was tough. But at the same time, he’s excited for Maye:
“Great kid. Great kid. No malice in my heart toward him. I just want the best for him. I’m very excited for him.”
Guregian described the attitude in the Patriots locker room as “mixed” following the decision.
Maye is set to make his starting debut Sunday against the Houston Texans at 1 p.m. EDT at Gillette Stadium.
