Jerod Mayo confirms Drake Maye will start for Patriots moving forward: 'We're all on board'

Jerod Mayo has officially confirmed Drake Maye will be the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots moving forward.

Reports came to light regarding the news on Tuesday, as many outlets proclaimed the franchise was planning to start the rookie quarterback against the Houston Texans in Week 6. Jacoby Brissett, the veteran who’s been starting for New England, will take on the backup role.

On Wednesday, Mayo, the first-year Patriots head coach, announced that the future is now, and the former North Carolina Tar Heels star will lead the team into battle this weekend.

“Going forward, I think now, Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo told the media. “He’s been getting better every single week, as I said before, you know, at the end of training camp, he actually was trending at a very high rate. That’s continued through the early part of the season.

“It was solely my decision to make this choice. I had a conversation, one-on-one, with Jacoby. I had a conversation with Drake. We’re all on board. I would also say, Jacoby’s a warrior, and he took the news very well, like a professional, like you would expect from a guy like that.”

At the moment, Maye is taking over a Patriots team off to a 1-4 start, good for last in the AFC East under Mayo. Brissett had accumulated 696 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and a 58.5% completion percentage in five games.

Moreover, Maye was always going to be the guy in New England sooner or later, after he was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft back in April. He actually made his NFL debut during a Thursday night loss against the New York Jets a few weeks back, playing sparingly in the fourth quarter.

The reigning third overall pick took some huge hits, as he was sacked twice. However, he completed 4-of-8 passes, amassing 22 yards. At the time, Mayo said “I don’t know” after the game when asked about the possibility of making a quarterback change, and Brissett would remained the starter for a couple more weeks, but he’s decided to make a move now.

Now, the former Tar Heels star will get his shot against the Texans, who are 4-1 and lead the AFC South. During his collegiate career, Drake Maye finished with 8,018 yards, 63 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and a 64.9% completion percentage, so the excitement is palpable for the Patriots.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.