Kelley: Is Starting Drake Maye a PR Move for the Patriots?

The New England Patriots named rookie Drake Maye their starting quarterback for their Week 6 game against the Houston Texans. There are many logical reasons for the team to move on from Jacoby Brissett. New England is off to a 1-4 start and is last in the league in passing yards per game. However, many factors make the timing of the move suspicious.

New England head coach Jerod Mayo stated that the best players would play. He gave it as his reasoning for naming Brissett the starting quarterback to begin the season. Mayo said the veteran gave the Patriots the best chance to win. According to the lineup change, Mayo no longer believes that to be the case.

It is reasonable for Mayo and the Patriots to make a quarterback switch at this stage in the season. With a multitude of mediocre NFL teams, New England can still compete in 2024. Even if no changes will turn the Patriots into a championship contender, being competitive and getting things headed in the right direction could be an important launching pad for the franchise.

Also Read – What to Expect With Drake Maye as QB1 in New England

At the very least, the Patriots want to fulfill Mayo’s modest preseason guarantee that the team would win more than four games, their 2023 total. They are not on pace to do that through Week 5. If people believe Brissett’s struggles and Maye’s improvement in practice are the reasons for a quarterback change, that’s fine. However, I think the reasons run deeper.

Jacoby Brissett Lived Up to Expectations

To paraphrase former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green, “Jacoby Brissett is who we thought he was.”

Brissett gave the New England Patriots exactly what they should have expected from him. He showed great leadership and toughness while limiting his mistakes. Coming into 2024, Brissett had one 300-yard game in his last 20 NFL starts. Anyone who expected him to suddenly start for their fantasy football team, especially given the limitations of those around him, set the bar way too high.

Brissett turned the ball over twice in his five starts this season. He threw one interception and lost one fumble. Only the 2016 New England Patriots started a season throwing fewer interceptions than this season’s squad. Brissett started two of those five games in 2016.

Making the timing stranger from Brissett’s perspective is that he arguably just played his best game of the season. Pro Football Focus graded Brissett with a 72.5 for his performance against Miami. It marked his first grade of the season over 65.0. He completed 18 of 34 passes for 160 yards, with no touchdowns or turnovers. Brissett ran once for a ten-yard gain. Miami pressured him 16 times but only sacked him twice.

Offensive Line Still Struggling

To be fair to Jerod Mayo, the beating Drake Maye would take behind a porous offensive line was never an excuse given for not playing him. The narrative surrounding Maye sitting from others did revolve around that point, however. Things have not gotten noticeably better for whoever stands in the pocket for the Patriots.

Losing David Andrews for the season is a huge blow to the New England offense. It is particularly troublesome with an inexperienced quarterback in the game. Nick Leverett allowed ten quarterback pressures in his first start against the Dolphins. Unless Jerod Mayo plans to start somebody with no NFL experience playing center (Ben Brown, Bryan Hudson, or Sincere Haynesworth) Leverett will remain in the middle of the offensive line for New England.

That's @zachsieler doin' his thing. 👊

📺 #MIAvsNE on @NFLonFOX pic.twitter.com/r7TQMNUMop

— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 6, 2024

Vederian Lowe and Michael Jordan just played their best games against Miami, and the team still allowed 12 pressures. Mike Onwenu moved to right guard, which left Demontrey Jacobs starting his first game at right tackle. None of that signals better odds of Drake Maye remaining upright. But again, Mayo did not use protection as a public reason for keeping Maye sidelined.

Drake Maye is a Distraction

So if Jacoby Brissett has not regressed and the offensive line has not improved, why start Drake Maye in Week 6? Perhaps the rookie improved so significantly in practice while getting 30% of the reps, Jerod Mayo thought he was ready. What seems more likely from this perspective is the distraction Drake Maye’s starting provides for the Patriots.

Maye moves the narrative away from their 1-4 record and overall poor play, but those are not the only things to take focus away from.

Since Drake Maye was named New England’s starting quarterback, all of the talk about the Patriots has been about Drake Maye. That is very welcome news for the franchise, which benefits from attention drawn away from their other issues. Those issues include:

1 – Breakup With Bill Belichick

The “parting ways” with the longtime Patriots head coach has not gone nearly as smoothly for Robert Kraft and company as it could have. “The Dynasty” was a public relations disaster for the franchise. The purpose appeared to be giving Belichick all of the blame and zero credit for the unprecedented 20-year run of the franchise. It included New England’s owner sharing private conversations with the coach publicly. And it was recorded before Belichick was even fired, making it apparent he was a goner before the 2023 season was ever played.

Later in the offseason, it was reported that Kraft sabotaged Belichick’s chances to land a head coaching job with the Atlanta Falcons.

Belichick got a great response to his performance at the Roast of Tom Brady. The crowd went wild for Belichick when he was introduced on Tom Brady Night in Foxboro. And the former head coach has made a smooth transition into football media. He is appearing on media outlets everywhere, appearing knowledgable and affable. If the 2024 media tour is an audition for a 2025 NFL head coaching job, Bill Belichick is crushing it.

While Belichick appears to be thriving, both professionally and with public perception, Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots are floundering. The team looks further away from contention than they have in decades. Eliot Wolf and Jerod Mayo, the two men who replaced Bill Belichick, have yet to win over the trust of the fanbase. It remains early in the post-Belichick world, though it is not the start the Patriots hoped for on any front.

But Robert Kraft, Eliot Wolf, Jerod Mayo, and Bill Belichick are not being discussed now that Drake Maye is.

2 – Offseason Promises Not Kept

The Patriots did not “burn some cash” in the offseason as Mayo stated they would. The head coach later said the comment was a “rookie mistake” on his behalf. But no big money was spent on outside free agents. Their most notable outside signings included Chukwuma Okorafor (who left the team after Week 1) and Jacoby Brissett (benched after Week 5). When Mayo said, “We bringing in talent, 1,000%” this is not what Patriots fans had in mind.

According to New England Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan, the team currently has $36,911,960 in cap space. They reportedly attempted to sign Calvin Ridley and trade for Brandon Aiyuk, but neither wide receiver was interested in playing for the Patriots. Do fans feel good that the team is reportedly trying to acquire talent or discouraged by players willing to take less money to play elsewhere?

Regardless of the perspective on the situation, the reality is that the team signed only two outside free agents who are currently first on the team’s depth chart: Left guard Michael Jordan and center Nick Leverett. But that is not being discussed, because Drake Maye is.

3 – Lack of Excitement Around the Patriots

Expectations for this season’s squad were not high when training camp began. Vegas projected the Patriots to be battling for the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft instead of their seventh Lombardi Trophy. That said, the New England Patriots roster was not devoid of exciting players, regardless of getting shut out of the Pro Bowl last season.

If somebody had polled fans before training camp about the non-rookies they were most excited to watch in 2024, a few named would have jumped to the top of the list. Among those would be second-year cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who has lived up to expectations early. But what about other players who fans were excited about?

CHRISTIAN GONZALEZZZZZ 😮‍💨@chrisgonzo28 | #NEPats

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/8HS1luY6Vt

— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 6, 2024

Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots early in camp and has yet to return to football activities. New England traded Matthew Judon, the last Pro Bowl selection for the Patriots, during training camp for a third-round draft pick. Last year’s “fan favorite” award winner, Jabrill Peppers, is no longer on the lineup (more on that below). Running back Rhamondre Stevenson started strong before losing his starting job after fumbling in four straight weeks. Wide receiver DeMario Douglas is on pace for 520 yards receiving and has yet to score. Keion White began the year dominating but has struggled in recent weeks (more on that below as well).

So, which New England Patriots are fans supposed to be excited about watching? Aside from Christian Gonzalez, the answer through Week 5 is unclear. The Patriots 2024 NFL Draft Class has produced almost nothing thus far. A lack of marketable players isn’t just bad for the on-field product; it’s bad for business.

Drake Maye gives Patriots fans a player, who is also a rookie, to get genuinely excited to watch.

4 – Locker Room Mutiny

Evan Lazar of Patriots.com said on the “Catch 22” podcast the Patriots locker room was “teetering on a mutiny.” The New England Patriots employ Lazar and the people in the locker room. It did not take people long to realize that the team edited the podcast to remove Lazar’s statements about a mutiny.

What is known is that there has been turmoil. Javon Baker showed up to training camp with an entourage, recorded himself badmouthing a Mass State Police officer for giving him a ticket, and later stated he had nothing to apologize for. Receivers like DeMario Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk have exhibited frustration on the field with poor body language. Chukwuma Okorafor started at left tackle in Week 1 and left the team before Week 2, never to return.

On defense, Davon Godchaux said his teammates were playing selfishly. Jerod Mayo and defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington supported Godchaux’s public criticism. Many inferred the comment was aimed at Keion White. Whether true or not is irrelevant. Players being allowed to criticize teammates, with the backing of the coaching staff, leads to such speculation.

Keion White now has a reputation for being selfish just two weeks after fans were ready to put him in the Pro Bowl. Mayo has also publicly called out the performance of his players regularly, something that has not been seen in New England for quite some time.

Lazar stated some young wide receivers were throwing tantrums and he wondered when they would say, “Why am I going out there with a quarterback that can’t get me the football when we have a Ferrari back in the garage?” If accurate, the complaining players got their way.

Perhaps more importantly, people are discussing Drake Maye instead of locker room mutiny.

5 – Jabrill Peppers Arrest

The Patriots team captains for the 2024 season were named before the opener. Of the six captains, only two are currently in the lineup. Jacoby Brissett was benched. David Andrews and Ja’Whaun Bentley suffered season-ending injuries. But Jabrill Peppers’ loss is the most tragic. The safety was lost indefinitely after the NFL placed Peppers on the commissioner’s exempt list.

Peppers was arrested on Saturday, Oct. 5, and arraigned in court two days later. Charges against him included strangulation, assault and battery, assault and battery with a deadly weapon, and possession of a Class B substance. Peppers’ attorney stated he expects his client to be fully exonerated, but it is unquestionably an awful situation all around.

Jabrill Peppers leaves Quincy District Court after appearing in front of a judge. While he stayed silent, his attorney said they have evidence that contradicts the victim’s story. @boston25 pic.twitter.com/unnnCqIAyi

— Ryan Breslin (@ryanjbreslin) October 7, 2024

Jabrill Peppers is a team captain, an excellent football player, and one of the most popular players on the team. Along with Christian Gonzalez, Peppers was one of the two best Patriots players this season. But a situation like this extends far beyond the football field.

During “The Dynasty” series, Bill Belichick received most of the blame for the Aaron Hernandez situation in New England. But Belichick didn’t sign Jabrill Peppers to a three-year extension this offseason or name him team captain. Who can the New England Patriots blame for this situation? While they cross their collective fingers that Jabrill Peppers’ lawyer will be proven correct in court, there is no question a franchise preoccupied with public perception doesn’t want this to be the main talking point about their team.

Suddenly, Jabrill Peppers being arrested on multiple charges, including strangling a female six times, is not the front page in Patriots Nation. Drake Maye getting his first NFL start has taken over that role.

So, Why is Drake Maye Starting in Week 6?

Perhaps the New England Patriots believe Drake Maye has shown enough in practice to warrant a promotion over Jacoby Brissett. Maybe the team’s expectations for Brissett were higher than what the veteran has produced on the field. For the record, I have no problem with the Patriots starting Drake Maye. He should have been given a legitimate chance to earn the starting job during training camp, which he was not.

But to think at least part of the motivation for the franchise starting Drake Maye in Week 6 does not include the distraction it provides from a 1-4 start, the lack of enthusiasm surrounding the team and new regime, a potential locker room mutiny, the arrest of a team captain, or the other factors laid out above, feels naive. The New England Patriots organization made it clear this calendar year how important it is for them to control narratives. It began with the “parting ways” with Bill Belichick, extended through the broadcast of “The Dynasty,” and continues to this day. Now people are talking about a rookie getting a start instead of a team captain accused of awful crimes. Maybe the timing of the quarterback switch is pure coincidence, but some of us have grown to become skeptical of the Patriots’ PR machine.