Dan Orlovsky slams any talk of Patriots starting Drake Maye at QB

“You couldn’t pay me enough to start Drake Maye.”

Drake Maye could be in trouble with this offensive line in front of him. Photo by Matthew J Lee/Globe Staff

Former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has been impressed with what he’s seen from Drake Maye so far this preseason.

And it’s because of those strides made by the 21-year-old Maye this preseason that Orlovsky doesn’t want to entertain any talk of the Patriots starting their rookie QB in Week 1 of the upcoming NFL season.

Even though Jerod Mayo and Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt stressed multiple times last week that veteran Jacoby Brissett is currently the QB1 in New England, Maye has narrowed the gap in the ongoing quarterback competition thanks to two promising preseason performances against the Eagles and Commanders.

Mayo himself has been inconsistent on the messaging regarding Maye and where he stands in the pecking order with Brissett, acknowledging on Monday morning that the rookie has “outplayed” Brissett so far during preseason action.

But even if Maye is ahead of schedule in terms of development, there’s a compelling case to be made for New England to start the year with Brissett under center in Week 1 against the Bengals.

Granted, it’s more of an indictment on the supporting cast around New England’s quarterbacks, rather than a commentary on Maye and his readiness for NFL competition.

“You couldn’t pay me enough to start Drake Maye,” Orlovsky said Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s “Get Up”. “I wouldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t let anybody convince me otherwise. … If we’re looking at it through the prism of Drake Maye — when it comes to his development, I’ve loved it.

“He’s changed protections. He’s controlled and owned a little bit of the line of scrimmage. He’s thrown the ball very well. The big flaw coming out of school was his feet, and the erratic element of his feet. That has improved so much. So from that vantage point, I get it. I understand it. Someone give me a good reason why to play Drake Maye.”

Sunday’s performance against the Commanders might have been the most telling sign yet that New England’s current offensive personnel is not good enough to support such a promising talent like Maye.

In the first half of Sunday’s 20-10 loss to Washington, New England’s sieve-like offensive line was knocked for a sack against Jacoby Brissett (leading to a shoulder injury), four illegal formation penalties (one that negated a 48-yard touchdown from Maye to K.J. Osborn), three holding penalties, two bad snaps, one false start and a lost shoe for Maye after Sidy Sow stepped on his foot after a ball was snapped.

Granted, this miserable performance was also against Washington’s second and third-string players on defense.

Considering Maye’s importance to New England’s hopes of building a sustainable contender in the years ahead, Orlovsky believes that trotting the rookie out on the gridiron in Week 1 with this current offensive grouping could lead to disaster.

“Are you serving yourself or are you serving what people may want, or what you think the organization wants or the fans want,” Orlovsky asked. “There’s three things that rookie quarterbacks need to have success in the NFL — let alone to make sure they don’t get ruined.

“A good scheme and play caller, plus offensive line, plus skill. …They don’t have plus offensive line or plus skill. They don’t. There’s no reason to play Drake Maye unless you have those three things.”