Drake Maye, drafted in 2024, by the Patriots has already won over many fans. Even though he made a late push for his job during the preseason, the rookie took over Jacoby Brissett by taking the majority of snaps with the team’s backups. Giving the Patriots a reason to hope he might be a good starter down the road. And leaving fans speculating about his role in the season. 

In just one series, the rookie completed 21 of his 34 passes this preseason for 196 yards and 1 passing touchdown. His overall No. 3 draft pick and this performance led to speculations that he might also be a rookie starter QB like Jayden Daniels. But their dreams were shattered after the Patriots’ HC Jerod Mayo decided Brissett would be the starter QB on September 8, against the Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Patriots have decided that Jacoby Brissett is their Week 1 starting QB vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, and Maye will be the backup. The HC made this announcement saying, “We have decided — or I have decided — that Jacoby Brissett will be our starting quarterback this season,” Mayo said. “As an organization, we’re 100 percent behind Jacoby.” And made it clear that Brissett would lead the week 1 game. 

However, it might be the right decision because Jacoby has 9 years of experience. Why would the team not choose someone who has been with them for a long time? Brissett has appeared in 79 regular season games and has been the starter in 48. During this time, he completed 981 of 1,600 passes for 10,574 yards, 51 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. Proving he can be a strong member for the Patriots. 

But Maye fans are not happy with it and X is filled with fan reactions, defending Maye and comparing both athletes. 

Fans support QB Drake Maye over Brissett 

Even after Mayo said “As an organization, though, we feel like Jacoby gives us our best chance to win right now.” and he spoke to Brissett and rookie Drake Maye both separately and together, the debate isn’t ending.

One fan criticized Jacoby, saying his performance would lead the team closer to loss. “Wait till Jacoby throws a pic in the Red Zone.” While another fan praised Maye for winning his heart only in his rookie year, “I’ve loved everything I’ve seen from Drake so far.” And this is not the case for just this fan, as many others are having issues with the decision.

One fan dove into the discussion, showcasing his confidence in Maye’s performance. “I’ve seen enough, Drake Maye will take us to the promise land.”And this statement is not very far-fetched. Maye’s preseason performance is a clear indication of his capabilities.

Someone compared the two shading Jacoby and saying, “its wild how a rookie in Drake Maye is this much better than a 9-year vet in Jacoby Brissett.” One fan even said that they are choosing the safe side because the team is just too afraid to take risks, “Patriots going with Brissett over Maye? Classic move. Everyone trying to make the safe play instead of gunning for glory. No guts, no glory, right? Maybe if I were running things, we’d see some real fireworks.” This is worrisome for Patriots’ fans because other teams are quite comfortable in starting with rookie QBs like Bears with Caleb Williams and Broncos with Bo Nix. Even NFL Analyst John Frascella feels that Drake Maye can have an accelerated development if he starts now.

In the meantime, some fans expectedly got angry at the decision. One fan took out his anger on the shaky offensive line that is unable to support the rookie QB. “The shame of it all with the #Patriots is that Maye could absolutely be the starter if they had a good offensive line.” 

And a fan simply branded the team management a ‘circus’ because Maye is already better than Jacoby for them. “Maye outplayed Jacoby and has more talent than Jacoby, yes Maye is a rookie but this whole circus is wild, the best QB on the team should start and thats Maye. This isnt that hard.” 

It is clear that fans are disappointed after the HC chose Jacoby over Maye. They are supporting the rookie openly, criticizing the management. However, what do you think about the situation? Should Maye be starting from week 1?