On August 8, the New England Patriots will play their first preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium, Massachusetts. The franchise was considered a dynasty as Tom Brady ruled there for 20 seasons. Since then, they have struggled to find the perfect signal caller. Head Coach Jerod Mayo wants to sort this situation out in the preseason. The contest for the starting QB is mainly between Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett.

While Brissett is the most probable QB to start for the team, the coach hinted he would include most players in the game. Talking to the reporters, Mayo confirmed that the rookie QB Maye will play in the opening preseason game against the Panthers.

The Pats brought in Brissett for one season, and he is in charge of the rebuild. Maye was their 3rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Riding on impressive college performances with 3,608 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with 149 passer ratings, the rookie QB looked confident after signing. Initially, he looked shaky in the training camp, but he later showed a solid improvement. Both QBs are extremely competitive. In the training camp, Brissett had a 68.5% passing percentage with 4 interceptions, and Maye was behind him at a 60% passing percentage with 4 interceptions.

With such performances and years of experience under his belt, Brissett is the (most probable) starting quarterback for the regular season. Drake Maye might get occasional chances during the upcoming season. The offense also favors Brissett for his experience.

Not Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett is a favorite of the Patriots’ offense

Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt trained Brissett at the Cleveland Browns in 2022. Both are at Patriots now. The QB is helping his offense to pick up Van Pelt’s tactics. It’s a vital boost to the Pats, whose offensive players have 1 or 2 years of experience. WR DeMario Douglas called him a leader and also said the QB learned tricks from the GOAT Brady himself. WR said, “He played under Tom (Brady), so he’s got great knowledge of the game, and he’s teaching it to us. I sit next to him in the meeting rooms. So as we break it down, it gets easier on the field.” That’s not all!

While most players are not setting up prime targets in the upcoming season, the offense is happy. TE Hunter Henry is reveling in the communication between them and said, “He’s been in a lot of different offenses. So he’s helping me a lot just to see things in this offense. On and off the field, he’s been fantastic.”

Pats must be happy with such a positive environment in the locker room. However, the achievements of TB12 are hard to emulate. Every QB at the franchise knows this. Fans are looking forward to the upcoming season with the hope of a revival.