Typically, during the season, members of a team’s starting offense or defense spend most of their time practicing with the first-team units. However, in the case of the Patriots, quarterbacks Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye are sharing work with the starting offense. 
“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop,” head coach Jerod Mayo said on Friday (via ESPN’s Mike Reiss). “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.”
Brissett joined in free agency on a one-year deal, with the expectation that New England would draft a quarterback. As part of the process to replace Mac Jones, the team opted to draft Maye instead of trading the No. 3 pick. Brissett started training camp at the top of the depth chart, but Maye’s performance during practice and the preseason caught Mayo’s attention, with the North Carolina player being considered the better passer.
Despite this, Brissett was chosen as the Patriots’ starter at the beginning of the season. With 49 starts under his belt, including a recent win over the Bengals, Brissett’s experience gave him the edge over Maye, who is still seen as a prospect in need of development. It is expected that a quarterback change will occur at some point in 2024, which explains Mayo’s unconventional approach to dividing practice reps.
“We were very deliberate when we discussed having a development plan for Drake, and that’s part of it,” Mayo added. “I’ve tried not to delve too deeply into what that plan actually entails, but he continues to take reps with the starters and performs well on the [scout] team. His confidence is growing.”
In his first season as head coach for New England in 2024, Mayo’s success will be closely tied to Maye’s progress once he assumes the starting role. The fact that Maye is still practicing with the first-team offense suggests he may be primed for the QB1 position in the near future, although Brissett’s performance will ultimately play a key role in that decision.
