The New England Patriots went into this offseason with a clear plan to draft a quarterback with the third-overall pick and sign a veteran to hold the job and give the rookie some time to adjust to and learn the NFL.
New England’s quarterback competition between rookie Drake Maye and veteran Jacoby Brissett wasn’t much of a competition with the latter getting most of the first-team reps in training camp sessions and games.
So, while Maye might’ve outplayed Brissett in those games, it wasn’t a huge surprise when head coach Jerod Mayo named the veteran the team’s starter for the 2024 season.
The plan isn’t exactly the most popular, as most fans and many analysts want to see what the rookie can do. However, one person outside the building who is supporting this plan is former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
On a recent episode of Colin Cowherd’s “The Herd,” Brady explained his belief that Maye should sit to start the year.
“I’ve gone on record to say that I think it’s best, in my opinion, for young quarterbacks or rookie quarterbacks to watch a veteran do it,” Brady said. “There’s so much that goes on, and quarterbacks need to process so much information so quickly. I think if you can have someone, and I sat behind Drew Bledsoe my first year, what a great player he was. Someone who I got to watch and learn from. Aaron Rodgers watched behind Brett Favre. Patrick Mahomes watched behind Alex Smith. When you have a real pro in front of you, they can help with that learning curve, even though that young quarterback isn’t necessarily going out there and losing confidence in what his abilities are.
“Ultimately, those young players are going to get opportunities. The franchises need those young quarterbacks to come in and take a big step and lead that franchise on into the future. I just like to give them a little bit of time to acclimate themselves to the pro game, the pro schedule. It’s a big difference between college football and professional football.”
The only flaw in Brady’s logic is that New England’s situation is a bit different than the examples he listed.
Brady sat behind Bledsoe because he was a sixth-round pick and Bledsoe was a former first-overall selection who was about to sign a then-record $ 103 million contract.
Rodgers sat behind a 35-year-old Favre, who was just a year removed from three straight Pro Bowls and still competently led multiple teams for six more seasons.
Mahomes sat behind Smith, who had brought the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl and was coming off of a Pro Bowl campaign (and made another one in Mahomes’ rookie season).
While Brissett is a great guy and a strong leader, he’s not the quarterback that any of those three placeholders were. He can keep a team afloat, but he’s not playing Pro Bowl-caliber football.
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