New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo informed his team that veteran Jacoby Brissett will open the 2024 season as the starting quarterback, while rookie Drake Maye will be his backup, the team announced Thursday.
Mayo’s decision ends a quarterback battle that’s seen many twists and turns. On Monday, the head coach said the first-round rookie passer had outplayed Brissett. However, the day prior, he also said Maye was the second-best quarterback on the roster.
Mayo added Thursday that he didn’t want to get into “hypotheticals” about when Maye would see the field.
“We can’t go into the season saying (Brissett) is going to go X amount of weeks,” the head coach said, according to team reporter Evan Lazar. “As long as Jacoby is going out there and performing in the way we all have confidence in him doing, he’ll be our quarterback this season.”
Brissett, who began his career as a third-round selection of the Patriots in 2016, returned to the organization this offseason on a one-year deal. He’s been a serviceable backup and spot starter throughout his career, owning an 18-30 record over 48 starts.
The 31-year-old veteran had a quiet preseason, completing five passes for 36 yards with zero scores and one interception. He was removed from the Patriots’ preseason finale against the Washington Commanders with a shoulder injury.
Maye, who was drafted third overall, put forth an impressive audition in his first NFL preseason. He completed 13 of 20 pass attempts for 126 yards and one touchdown in the team’s final preseason outing.
Brissett spent last season with the Commanders, though he didn’t start any games. In addition to the Patriots and Commanders, he’s also had stops with the Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, and Cleveland Browns. He’s thrown 51 touchdowns to 23 interceptions in his career.
The Patriots open their season with a Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
