Patriots OC: Drake Maye Has 'No Timetable' to Become QB1, Brissett 'Our Starter'

Drake Maye has been "impressive" in the New England Patriots' voluntary offseason workout program, but offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt is pumping the brakes on the rookie taking first-team reps any time soon.

"I think you have to take that as it comes. There is no timetable," Van Pelt said of Maye becoming a starter, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "Jacoby [Brissett], again, is our starter and he's playing excellent football for us in the spring. And Drake is coming on. So until that changes, we're going to stick with what we got.

"We always talk about earning your reps around here. So as he continues to grow and have successful practices and start stacking those, then we can think about moving him up the depth chart. It's a process. It's a marathon. We're going to take our time and do it the right way."

Maye was the No. 3 pick in April's draft, but the Patriots are expected to be patient as they work through a rebuilding process.

New England was arguably the worst situation for any rookie quarterback to walk into. The team is devoid of high-level skill-position talent, has a shaky offensive line and is led by a staff full of coaches with a lot to prove after the team moved on from Bill Belichick.

Van Pelt's last four years running the Cleveland Browns' offense isn't exactly the type of run you put atop a resume. Patriots quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney's lone year coaching the position came in 2019, which coincided with a sputtering rookie year from then-rookie quarterback Drew Lock.

Brissett is not a long-term solution under center, but he's a steady veteran who can use his feet outside the pocket and serve as a stopgap.

"Me and Jacoby and Bailey [Zappe], we're battling. Mixing up who goes with who each day. It's not necessarily 'Hey, you're going first, you're going second.' Jacoby is getting first and from there we're just playing it by ear," Maye said. "Obviously it matters how you do when you're in there."

The Patriots have a clean cap sheet and will likely be picking near the top of the 2025 draft, where they can provide Maye with a better supporting cast.

It's a virtual certainty Maye will get an extended look at some point this season, but it's promising that Van Pelt is expressing extreme caution. Throwing Maye to the wolves would risk the same confidence-shattering rookie season that befell Bryce Young in Carolina last season.