Patriots News: Top Pick Drake Maye Not Getting First-Team Reps in OTAs

The New England Patriots nearly had everyone fooled on the days leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft. Initially, vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf stated the team was “open for business” regarding a trade out of the No. 3 overall pick.

Read more: New England Patriots Select QB Drake Maye With No. 3 Overall Pick in 2024 NFL Draft

That was not the case as the team selected UNC’s Drake Maye with the No. 3 overall pick, giving the Patriots organization their presumed next franchise quarterback. The hopes are high for Maye, but he is still just a rookie. Rookies can often take some time to develop and may not always be day-one starters.

That might be the case for Maye, who is currently not taking first-team reps with the Patriots during OTAs. Kay Adams spoke with Wolf about when Maye might suit up as QB1, and his answer is quite revealing.

Adams initially asks, “Who makes the decision on when he [Maye] gets out there?”

Wolf immediately responds with some “coach speak” about the situation before revealing who is the current QB1 for the offense, stating, “I think those will be some important conversations for us to have. Right now, it’s Jacoby Brissett. He’s taking the first reps, and we’re excited about what he’s shown. Not only off the field but on the field with his throwing ability.”

Wolf indicates that Brissett is the current top signal caller the team is working with during OTAs, which doesn’t mean Maye won’t be the team’s starter, just that he will have to outwork his veteran counterpart to earn that job. Wolf also adds a bit more context as to why Maye is not the starter right now.

“And with Drake Maye, let’s be honest, we’ve had him for three weeks now,” Wolf says. “There’s a long way to go for all of our rookies, and all of our players — as we adapt to this new scheme that Coach Ven Pelt is implementing offensively.”

Wolf is indicating what occurs on most teams that have new coaches is that players, rookies and veterans, must learn the new system. Strangely, he does offer up a bit of a vague response in terms of generalizing Maye as a rookie, and one who needs more work.

Maye was pegged as the third-best quarterback prospect in the draft, which is why he fell to the Patriots. Also, one of his drawbacks was his raw talent. He just might not be ready to start, even though he was selected so high. The good news is that he can learn behind Brissett, who is a proven veteran.

The Patriots also announced that they agreed to terms with Maye on his rookie contract, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network:

Maye might not be the starter heading into the 2024 season, but should Brissett be hurt, Maye might find himself in a trial-by-fire type of situation.