Both Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo made it clear last night that there is no timetable for when newly drafted Drake Maye will be the team’s starting quarterback.
Listening to the two, it sounds like there is no expectation of Maye playing early.
When Mayo was asked when Maye might be ready to start, Mayo actually referenced former coach Bill Belichick when talking about the process of developing players.
“I think to go back to Bill, I don’t think many rookies are ready to just jump in and play. At the end of the day, our philosophy is the best players will play. Coming in as a rookie, hopefully he’s a sponge. A lot of good players in that locker room.”
Mayo added: “Look, Jacoby understands, he’s a mentor. He’s very smart, has great leadership skills, and hopefully Drake can learn something from him, as well. I would say we’re going to compete all spring, we’re going to compete during training camp, and the best player will start.”
Mayo did not want to put any pressure on Maye by announcing that he will compete for the starting job. He doesn’t believe it is necessary to pre-determine when a quarterback will be the starter.
“They try to put time tables on it, but you just never know when that time is going to be. If you look over the history of the league, sometimes guys, they can go in there and start game 1 and have a Pro Bowl season. Then other guys they sit for two or three years and they have a great season or great career, but it can also go the other way. You sit for two years and have a terrible career.”
Mayo said that it is hard to put a time table on the development of a young quarterback. He reiterated that the Patriots have other quarterbacks on the roster and that should help make Maye’s transition smoother.
” I think it’s hard to really put a timeline on when he will be ready. Once again, look, I don’t want you guys to forget about the quarterbacks that we have on our roster, and it’s about competing and it’s about going out there every day striving to get better.”
Mayo’s comments reinforce the Patriots commitment to taking their time with Maye. They are not going to play him right away. They are going to give him time to develop and play when he is ready. Wolf pointed out that for Maye to develop, he needs to have the right pieces around him.
“I just think we need to support him in any way we can, on the field, off the field. We need to add some weapons to the offense. We need to shore up the offensive line. We have good players already at those positions but really just increasing the depth and the competition. Like Jerod mentioned, that competition is going to be at every position.”
Adding the right pieces over the course of the next two years will be the key ingredient. Maye has the physical tools but the only thing he can control is his work ethic. The organization will be charged with building the roster around him.
Some will look at Maye’s size and compare him to Patriots legend Tom Brady. Maye side stepped the comparisons in his introductory press conference and said he is focused on being Drake Maye. Mayo did say that the two quarterbacks had one thing in common. He said quarterbacks like Brady and Maye are fighters.
“One thing about Drake, and we kind of talked about it this past year, they also had some holes on offense, and the thing that most impressed me about him, he would get smashed and just get right back up. That’s the same trait — you had a guy like Tom Brady — not saying that he’s Tom, but just that mentality. Same thing with Joe Burrow. Those guys just keep getting back up and continuing to play at a high level, and that was like the aha moment for me.”
Maye checks off a lot of boxes but how successful he is will ultimately depend on the Patriots. If they do it right, they have a potential franchise quarterback. If they rush the process, they will be looking for another quarterback in three years from now.
For now, the Patriots are being applauded for drafting Maye. Pretty soon however they will be judged on how they are developing him. At that point, the honeymoon will be over.