NFL
Tom Brady: why the Patriots are right to pick Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye
New England head coach Jerod Mayo has confirmed Brissett will be the Pats’ starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
The NFL is back and the start of the 2024 regular season is just around the corner. Seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is gearing up to start his new career as a commentator on Fox Sports and has already given his views on the New England Patriots, his former team, and rookie quarterback Drake Maye.
Since Brady left in 2019, the Pats have - unsurprisingly - struggled to find a quarterback anything like as effective and decisive on the field. New head coach Jerod Mayo, however, believes Maye is ready to take offensive responsibility and help move the team back in the right direction. Not just yet, though.
Maye, who has only just turned 22, was the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but New England believe he isn’t ready to be thrown in at the deep end. As a result, Jacoby Brissett will be the starting quarterback in Week 1, in which the Patriots host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday (September 8, kickoff at 1pm ET).
Brady is on board with that call, voicing his belief the best thing for a rookie is to start learning from a more experienced player, as he and other legendary quarterbacks did when they were beginning their careers.
What did Brady say about the Brisset-Maye quarterback debate?
“I’ve been on record saying that I think it’s better, in my opinion, for young quarterbacks or rookie quarterbacks to watch a veteran do it first.
“There’s so much going on and quarterbacks need to process so much information so quickly, and I think if you can have somebody, it’s better to be behind them, like I did with Drew Bledsoe in my first year. What a great player he was. Somebody I had to watch and learn from. Aaron Rodgers watched, behind Brett Favre. Patrick Mahomes watched, behind Alex Smith,” Brady insists.
The 47-year-old added that experience is just a matter of time for young rookies, but they will have to be patient: “Franchises need those young quarterbacks to come in and take a big step and lead that franchise into the future. I just like to give them a little bit of time to get used to the professional game, to the professional schedule. I mean, there is a big difference between college football and professional football.”