Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots’ quarterback position heading into the offseason.
With Super Bowl LIX in the rear-view mirror and all 32 NFL teams in the offseason now, the league-wide focus is officially on the future. For the New England Patriots, that future is one of uncertainty after they hired a new head coach and saw turnover at almost every other coaching position as well.
Despite that and the fact New England is coming off back-to-back 4-13 seasons, there is reason for optimism. All of that starts at the most important position on the field.
Drake Maye: The third overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Maye started his rookie season as the No. 2 behind veteran offseason signing Jacoby Brissett. However, the team decided to make a switch in Week 6 to insert the rookie into the lineup. Maye never looked back, and despite having to work through his fair share of growing pains showed why he was a highly-touted prospect coming out of college: he had flashes of brilliance as a dual-threat option and despite his final stat line — 225-of-338, 2,276 yards, 15 TDs, 10 INTs — looking relatively pedestrian appears to be a franchise quarterback in the making.
Jacoby Brissett: A former third-round draft pick by the Patriots, Brissett returned to New England via a one-year free agency deal last March. Despite Drake Maye showing promise in training camp and preseason, Brissett’s status as the starting quarterback was not in question — until it suddenly was. After going only 79-of-135 for 696 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in his five starts to open the year, the team captain was benched. He did see action in three more games down the stretch, including a win over the New York Jets after Maye had suffered a concussion, but never threatened the rookie.
Joe Milton III: The 2024 season was effectively a redshirt year for sixth-round rookie Joe Milton. The Tennessee product spent almost the entirety of the season running the scout team in practice, and then serving as a healthy scratch on game day. The lone exception was the season finale against the Buffalo Bills: Milton entered the game after one series, and proceeded to play some intriguing football. While admittedly mostly going against backups, his 22-of-29, 241-yard, 1-touchdown performance was still fun to watch.
Contract statuses: Drake Maye (signed/2027), Jacoby Brissett (UFA), Joe Milton (signed/2027)
Coaching staff: Josh McDaniels (offensive coordinator), Ashton Grant (quarterbacks coach), Thomas Brown (passing game coordinator/tight ends coach), Riley Larkin (offensive assistant)
As noted above, the Patriots’ quarterback position is all set thanks to Drake Maye remaining under contract for three more seasons plus the fifth-year option for 2028. Of course, that does not guarantee that the team will get elite play from the youngster for the foreseeable future: not only did Maye make his fair share of rookie mistakes in 2024 and has to show sizable and sustainable growth, he also will have to...
