Jerod Mayo: Patriots giving Drake Maye 30% of 1st-team reps

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that the team is giving rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 pick in the draft, significantly more practice repetitions with the top offense than a backup would normally receive.

Mayo confirmed that Maye is getting 30% of the first-team snaps behind veteran starter Jacoby Brissett.

“It’s not a secret, we have a quarterback in the wings that needs to continue to develop. Normally, the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little bit different,” Mayo said. “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.”

The CBS broadcast of the Patriots’ season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals first noted the unique arrangement with Maye, which Mayo expounded upon for the first time Friday.

“We were very thoughtful. When we talked about having a developmental plan for Drake, that’s part of it,” Mayo said. “I’ve tried not to get too deep into what that plan actually looks like, but he still takes reps with the starters and does a good job on the [scout] team as well. He’s doing a good job, and you can see his confidence continuing to grow.”

Maye, who turned 22 on Aug. 30, made 26 starts during his college career at the University of North Carolina. That was a lower total than other quarterbacks selected in the first round, including top overall pick Caleb Williams (33) of the Chicago Bears, No. 2 selection Jayden Daniels (55) of the Washington Commanders and No. 12 pick Bo Nix (61) of the Denver Broncos — all of whom started for their NFL teams in Week 1.

Maye had made a charge for the Patriots’ starting job over the final two weeks of training camp and preseason, according to Mayo. But the totality of Brissett’s work and his experience in offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s system were among the top factors Mayo cited in the team sticking with Brissett.

Mayo praised Brissett’s handling of the 70-30 split of reps in practice.

“From day one, I’ve always said he’s a true professional. I’ve always said he’s a great mentor, not only for Drake but also for [rookie Joe] Milton,” Mayo said. “He’s won games in this league, and he understands we drafted Drake as the No. 3 pick in the draft; looking out the front windshield, at some point in time — I don’t know when that time will come — [Maye] will have to go out there and play.”

Maye’s locker is directly next to Brissett’s in the locker room, which is the same spot Brissett had in 2016 when he was next to Tom Brady. Brissett has said he hopes to be the same type of mentor to Maye that Brady was to him, which Mayo credited.

“Just seeing the relationship in the quarterback room has been special for me,” Mayo said. “It is very hard, when you talk about checking your ego at the door; Jacoby is one of those guys who wants to do what’s best for the team.”

Brissett was 15-of-24 for 121 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in the Patriots’ 16-10 season-opening win over the Bengals. He also rushed for 32 yards on seven carries as the team totaled 170 rushing yards in a run-first plan.

Van Pelt noted that Brissett “played within himself” and “for the most part put us in position to win the game; he knew how we were going to win and played to that.”

Van Pelt also said Maye is taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from Brissett — in the meeting room and on the field — and relayed that “he’s doing great” to this point.

Maye told ESPN that he’s prepared as if he’s the starter, which is the mentality a backup should have, and has benefited from having an earpiece in on the sideline during games.

“I’m playing the game from the sideline,” Maye explained. “You obviously don’t have the same view, but at the same time, I’ve still studied throughout the week and you kind of expect the looks and it’s ‘This is what we were thinking.’ Most of the time throughout, I knew where Jacoby was going with the football before it happened. Just trying to play the game and, at the same time, help Jacoby with anything he needs.”

The Patriots (1-0) host the Seattle Seahawks (1-0) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox).