Veteran or rookie? Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo names starting QB for Week 1

FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo has decided who will start at quarterback when his team squares off with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.

Mayo, in his first year as sideline boss following the departure of Bill Belichick, is going with veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett to start the regular season, not rookie Drake Maye.

“As an organization, we’re 100 percent behind Jacoby,” Mayo said during a Thursday morning news conference. “I had an opportunity to talk to Drake [Maye]. I had an opportunity to talk to Jacoby separately and also together, and I feel like we’re all on the same page from an organizational perspective.”

Mayo noted that the Patriots feel like Brissett gives them the “best chance to win right now.”

Brissett, an eight-year NFL veteran, was drafted by the Patriots out of North Carolina State in 2016. He later spent four years in Indianapolis before spending one season in Cleveland, Miami, and Washington.

The Patriots drafted Maye out of North Carolina University with the third overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in April.

The Patriots released third-year veteran Bailey Zappe earlier this week. Rookie quarterback Joe Milton III is currently on the roster and figures to slot in as the team’s third-string option.

The Patriots visit the Bengals for a 1 p.m. game on Sunday, Sept. 8.

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