Patriots' Drake Maye to Start vs. Bills; NE Clinches No. 1 NFL Draft Pick with Loss

The New England Patriots will start rookie Drake Maye on Sunday in the team's season finale against the Buffalo Bills. With a loss, the Patriots would clinch the 2025 No. 1 draft pick.

"Drake is our starting quarterback. If he's healthy and ready to go, as we go through this week of practice, then he'll play," Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday, per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "He's a competitor, he wants to play and he's still developing. He'll be ready to go."

The Patriots (3-13) sit fourth in the AFC East, with Maye playing in 12 games and starting 11 this season. He has posted 2,276 passing yards with a 66.8 percent completion rate, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The other option would be Jacoby Brissett, a 32-year-old veteran, who has started five games this season and played in 11, posting a 59 percent completion rate with two touchdowns.

On Monday, Mayo had been weighing all possibilities for the QB1 position but provided a definitive answer on Wednesday of ultimately sticking with his rookie.

Despite the opportunity to secure the No. 1 pick with a loss, Mayo emphasized that it is never his or the Patriots' goal to enter a game with the intent to lose.

"As far as how much they play, how much they don't, I've never been a part of a team as a player or as a coach going into a game not wanting to win," Mayo said, per Reiss. "That's not going to change today. ... My message to the guys was we want to finish off the season strong. Try to build some momentum going into the offseason."

Maye echoed his coach's sentiments, expressing his desire to win the Patriots' final game of the season.

"I'm preparing like I'm the starter. I'm looking forward to being out there. I'm ready to go out there and win and compete," Maye said, per Reiss. "In a close game, I want to be out there. Getting experiences in these close games, you can't replicate that in practice. I'm looking forward to getting more chances with these guys and end off on a good note."

Following Mayo's statement, New England listed Maye as limited on the injury report with a right-hand injury.