Jerod Mayo had a plan.
Its principles were clear even when its timeline wasn’t.
The New England Patriots’ first-year head coach would allow veteran journeyman Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye to duke it out through 2024 for the starting quarterback position.
As long as Brissett held the edge, he would start. When that was no longer apparent, Maye was the guy.
“If he beats Jacoby out, I mean, there’s nothing else really to be said — and hopefully he continues to get better,” Mayo told Yahoo Sports during an August training camp visit. “When I talk about competition, it’s not just in training camp. It’s on a day-to-day basis throughout the season, in the meeting room, during walkthrough and on the field. So you always have to have that sense of urgency that someone’s going to take your job.
“We talk about competition all the time.”
With frustration mounting and the oft-discussed bumps in the road becoming increasingly steep, the Patriots elected to promote Maye to starter this week against the Houston Texans, a person with knowledge of the decision confirmed to Yahoo Sports on Tuesday afternoon.
Jerod Mayo and the Patriots are turning to Drake Maye as their new starting quarterback, and hopefully for the long term. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
The decision makes sense in the scheme of the Patriots wanting to win and win soon. But it begs several questions when it comes to the best way to set up the third overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft for a long, successful career.
Mayo acknowledged this tension Monday on the eve of transitioning. The coach was no longer confirming Brissett was his surefire starter. He shifted instead to explaining his dilemma.
“It’s natural for fans and for the media to say, ‘Well, we have a good quarterback waiting in the wings as well,’” Mayo said. “At the same time, our mentality is, ‘How do we develop him? How do we get the guys on the field around him to develop, and…
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