What will Patriots’ Drake Maye “collaborative” approach look like? originally appeared in NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots They made it very clear that they are taking things slowly with Drake Maye, with veteran Jacoby Brissett expected to be the Week 1 starter as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft watches and develops.
But at some point, Maye will be ready to start an NFL game. And when that point arrives, who will give Maye the green light to take the field?
Patriots executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf insisted Tuesday his team will take a “collaborative approach” to Maye’s developmentwith employees at various levels of the organization influencing it. But Patriots Insider Tom E. Curran believes it should be new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt who finally considers Maye ready to start.
“Alex Van Pelt should make the decision as to whether or not this guy is ready to commit this offense,” Curran said Tuesday on NBC Sports Boston. Arbella Advance Edition. “(He should say): ‘He’s shown me enough. He’s got command, he knows where the ball should go and we’re protected from him costing us games on a regular basis. He could cost us a game, he could cost us a ride. But , in general, I want him to drive my car.
Van Pelt will work closely with Maye on a day-to-day basis and will have the best control over the QB’s development on the field. But it could be helpful to have other key members of the organization — like Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo — share different perspectives on when it makes the most sense to give Maye the starting job.
“I completely agree that Alex Van Pelt should be able to say, ‘He’s ready to go now’ or ‘No, not yet,’” Patriots Insider Phil Perry responded to Curran. “…But I’d like to get the input from these other guys to say, ‘Yeah, the line isn’t where we want it yet. Maybe we should wait a few more weeks.’ I think that’s how things could go.”
Curran believes this is how “collaboration” could work in New England: Van Pelt begins the discussion with his opinion on Maye’s readiness, then Wolf, Mayo and others provide their broader perspective.
“This is what I think a collaboration should sound like,” Curran said. “’Alex, the offense is yours. Do you want him out there yet?’ And he says, ‘Yeah, I think so.’
“And then, for example, Eliot Wolf says, ‘But look, do you really want to do this with X, Y, and Z coming up on the schedule?’ Or Mayo says, ‘Look, the mood in the locker room is such right now that maybe we can keep Jacoby for another week.’ That kind of thing can come into it.”
This setup would be a departure from the Bill Belichick era, when the Patriots’ de facto head coach/general manager had complete authority over all football decisions. And after New England saw its previous first-round QB, Mac Jones, explode after just three seasons, such a move might not be a bad thing.
