Jerod Mayo says Jacoby Brissett is “still our starting quarterback” despite Drake Maye's debut in loss to the Jets

During a crushing loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night, the New England Patriots got a glimpse of the future when Jerod Mayo took veteran starter Jacoby Brissett out of the game and inserted first-round rookie Drake Maye into center field. Technically, that wasn't a substitution of Brissett, as the game was unwinnable and Maye entered the game in overtime, but it was enough of an opportunity to wonder if a change at the quarterback position was imminent.

When asked the morning after the loss if there had been a status change at quarterback, Mayo indicated that Brissett would remain QB1 in Week 4 when New England travels to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers.

“Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he's not the quarterback,” Mayo said at the start of his press conference. “I thought he showed a lot of toughness and grit last night. With the breakdowns in defense, [he] They've tried to do what we're asking them to do, but I would say we just have to get better as a team and as a coaching staff.”

He later added: “Look, everything is always being re-evaluated, but just to be clear: Jacoby is still our starting quarterback until I say he's not anymore.”

New England's offense struggled mightily in this 24-3 loss to the Jets. Brissett completed 12 of his 18 pass attempts, but only managed 98 yards. Although he wasn't very successful in the air, the Patriots' stagnant offense isn't entirely to blame. The veteran was under pressure from the start, playing behind a weakened offensive line, and was sacked a total of five times in the loss.

Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, entered the game with less than five minutes left in regulation, completed four of his eight throws for 22 yards and was sacked twice.

“He's another guy that has athleticism,” Mayo said when asked to evaluate Maye's performance. “He can make all the throws. Coming off the bench at this point is always tough, no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position. I thought he did well, trying to build a drive and build something. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and do some live drills.”

Last week, Mayo revealed that Maye is taking about 30% of the first-team reps at practice, while Brissett, as the starter, takes the remaining 70%. The first-year coach was asked Friday if that could change, as Maye expects an even bigger increase in reps to potentially prepare for a move up to QB1.

“Right now, I would say it's still the status quo,” Mayo said. “I've said it before, Jacoby is still our starting quarterback and we just have to be ready to support him. … So to answer your question, that's not up for debate right now.”

With this latest loss to the Jets, New England is now 1-2 this season, after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 1 opener and then losing to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime on Sunday.