Patriots
“One of the best things about being a 21-year-old coming in there is getting ready to learn and soak it all in.”
New Patriots quarterback Drake Maye Jones appeared on WEEI’s “Jones & Mego” show on Monday, touching on a variety of topics including his chances of being a Day 1 starter, his new teammates, and much more.
Here are a few highlights from Maye’s extended radio interview:
A starting spot out of the gate?
Jerod Mayo stressed on WEEI Monday morning that the “best player will play” when it comes to who gets the ball at quarterback for Week 1 of the 2024 season.
Even though Maye has all of the makings of a potential franchise fixture at quarterback, New England also doesn’t necessarily need to throw him into the fire this season — especially if the 21-year-old QB needs more time to learn New England’s system and the challenges that await against NFL competition.
With Jacoby Brissett in place on the roster, New England does have a bridge starter available if they opt to let Maye develop through practice reps and film — instead of during in-game situations.
Speaking on Monday, Maye admitted that his goal is to start in the NFL, but added that he’s taking his rookie experience in stride as he tries to assert himself at football’s next level.
“[Starting] is obviously the goal for myself and any quarterback coming into the NFL,” Maye said. “But also getting in there and getting the opportunity to learn, learn from Jacoby, learn from older guys, the veterans around there, and put my best foot forward. For me, just earn respect from guys and get to know them first and all the stuff on the field will come after that. … One of the best things about being a 21-year-old coming in there is getting ready to learn and soak it all in.
“If I’m the best guy — I think Coach Mayo has said the best guy is gonna play. So if that happens to me, I’ll be ready to go. If it’s not, I’m going to prepare like it and compete and learn as much as I can from the other guys to get ready to do that.”
A competitive QB room
Barring any additional moves between now and the start of training camp, New England’s QB room is already stocked with several options. Along with Maye and Brissett, New England also added Tennessee QB Joe Milton in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, while Bailey Zappe and Nathan Rourke also remain on the roster (at least for now).
Even though Maye is presumed to be the heir apparent as New England’s starting QB, the Patriots have several options to turn to in 2024 and even beyond.
Brissett will be a valuable veteran resource for both Maye and Milton — whose throwing drills will be appointment viewing during training camp this summer.
“I think me and Joe will come in there ready to compete,” Maye said. “Got to know Joe well through some of the Manning Camp and at the Combine. Joe’s the man. I’m a big fan of Joe and I look forward to just competing with each other. The biggest thing is they make it a competitive room and energy, high energy.
“I think we all bring that — big personalities, all three of us. So ready to kind of showcase that, see how the room shapes out and just have fun in there. The best thing about quarterbacks is we keep it light and once we’re on the field, man, we’re competitors. So that’s something I think all of us can share.”
Learning new faces
Even though Maye is back in North Carolina before the Patriots’ rookie mini-camp begins on May 10, the young quarterback has been in touch with the rest of New England’s 2024 draftees — especially his potential pass-catching options in Ja’Lynn Polk (WR, No. 37 pick), Javon Baker (WR, No. 110 pick), and Jaheim Bell (TE, No. 231 pick).
“Yeah I was just talking with Ja’Lynn and Javon and just FaceTiming Jaheim,” Maye said. “So I’ve got a bunch of guys, getting to know them — I texted them, all have reached out. So I think the biggest thing is to get going for rookie mini-camp. … Getting us all together and creating relationships and getting to know each other before we all kind of get mingled in with the whole squad.”
Maye and Baker — who could develop into a dangerous deep-threat target in New England — already have some familiarity together.
“He was committed to Alabama when I was committed there, he was a year ahead of me,” Maye said of his connection to Baker. “But obviously I saw him at some of the camps, got to know him — played him in 7-on-7 in high school football, so he was a big-time recruit from Atlanta, so I got to know Javon pretty well.”
Turning down the Crimson Tide
Even though both Baker and Maye were initially committed to Alabama, both opted to end their collegiate careers elsewhere. Maye committed to North Carolina and played three total seasons with the Tar Heels from 2021-23, while Baker played two seasons with the Crimson Tide before transferring to UCF for both the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Maye was asked what led to his decision to drop his commitment to a proven football powerhouse like Alabama.
“Coach [Nick] Saban — sitting in his office when I was a sophomore in high school — any time that he says, ‘Drake, you’re our guy, we want you to be our guy.’ It’s pretty hard to turn that down,” Maye said. “And at that time, North Carolina was kind of in rough years. 2017, 2018 were some rough years for North Carolina football. So really, Alabama is hard to turn down.
“But once Coach (Mack) Brown came back and I saw my good friend Sam Howell go there his freshman year and light it up — I really didn’t want to miss out on that. And I think, Alabama, I think either way could have probably turned out well. But they also had Bryce (Young) at the same time, so I think I ended up making the right decision to go to North Carolina. Both my parents went there and had brothers go there. So the whole family lineage is hard to pass that up.”
A new home in New England
Maye might be in North Carolina now, but the rookie QB seems interested in ingratiating himself to his new fanbase by making an appearance at Causeway Street in the near future.
“Maybe stay tuned for something to come up there,” Maye noted. “Obviously, you get the Bruins in the playoffs and the Celtics, so stay tuned for possibly something. But I’m back home now and just getting ready for rookie mini-camp and getting ready for the offseason program. So gotta get ready to play some football now.”
Even though basketball has been a big part of Maye’s life (his brothers Luke and Beau played for UNC), he added that he’d also want to attend a Bruins playoff game during this current run.
“I’m a big basketball fan. But going to college at Chapel Hill, Raleigh is right down the road. So the Hurricanes, I got to see some of their games. Hockey is a great sport,” Maye said. “Been a huge basketball fan, but hockey is growing on my list.
“It would be great to get a chance to get to a Bruins game or the Celtics. … [Courtside seats] would be sweet. I hope I find a way, we’ll see. I like to compare myself to an off-brand Jayson Tatum in my basketball comparison, so getting to meet him and some of the guys would be pretty sweet.”
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