The starting quarterback list is out! Some of the names make perfect sense, and others have completely perplexed people. One of the names comes from the New England Patriots, who chose Jacoby Brissett over Drake Maye as their starting quarterback. But does it make any sense?

Jordan Palmer, a retired NFL QB seems to think so. The Patriots are doing a complete revamp of their team, so they need some level of familiarity. Jacoby Brissett brings a level of stability to the table that Drake Maye does not. Palmer revealed the reason behind his thought process on The Rich Eisen Show.

Drake Maye should take a backseat this season

“I think when you have that much newness and you have a rookie,” Palmer said as he talked about the players who made it from college to pros and continued saying, “If you can remove some of that newness like somebody who has the experience, like somebody who’s been in tough spots. I think it’s less about Drake Maye and more about Jacoby Brissett being the right guy right now.”

Brissett started his career as Tom Brady’s backup so that set him up in the right direction. He learned the offense quickly, but he transferred to the Colts next year. Later, he found himself playing as Deshaun Watson’s replacement after he was suspended. Per Palmer, Brissett has been in the most “chaotic” situations, and he’d rather take him as a starter for New England.

Speaking of “newness” in New England, we can’t ignore the fact that the team is operating under a rookie head coach. They also have a new offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt as well. Brissett participated in all the preseason games and went 5-14 for 36 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. So why do the Pats still want him to be “the guy”?

Jacoby Brissett as starter: Yes, or No?

It’s a very subjective question and people will either side with Maye or Brissett based on perception. But for the sake of this conversation, let’s just stick to Brissett. Apart from his 48 starts in his NFL career, he has a great relationship with Alex Van Pelt during their time together at the Cleveland Browns.

The Patriots’ plan might be to hand the keys to Drake Maye someday. For that, he must learn the ropes of pro leagues first. Though Maye completed 21-36 passes in the preseason and got the reps that he needed, it was still against some second teams. The Pats might not want their third-overall pick QB to be injured in the first year.

Look at what the Vikings had to go through with JJ McCarthy, who’s out for the season. When the regular season starts, there’s no room for friendliness. Again, Brissett is a veteran in the game and it makes perfect sense to give him the keys for now.