No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye and the New England Patriots agreed to terms on the rookie quarterback's deal on Wednesday, according to the NFL Network. The contract is worth $36.6 million over four years, including a $23.5 million signing bonus, per Spotrac.
Maye is expected to eventually become the starter, but whether that's by Week 1 of his rookie year -- or in his first season at all -- will depend on how the rest of the offseason goes. After trading quarterback Mac Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Patriots brought in Jacoby Brissett, who will serve as a veteran presence and possibly the 2024 starter.
Patriots first-year head coach Jerod Mayo gave some insight to how Maye was adjusting following rookie minicamp. He admitted that his first-round pick has "a lot to work on," but noted that Maye has been putting in the work to improve.
Executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf said it will be a group effort to decide when Maye is ready to become the starter. Wolf said Brissett is currently QB1 and emphasized how little time the team has had to get Maye acclimated.
"I think those will be some important conversations for us to have," Wolf said on "Up & Adams" Tuesday. "Right now, it's Jacoby Brissett. He's taking the first reps, and we're excited about what he's shown, not only off the field but on the field with his throwing ability. Drake Maye, let's be honest, we've had him for three weeks now. There's a long way to go to for all of our rookies and all of our players as we adapt to this new scheme that [offensive coordinator Alex] Van Pelt is implementing offensively."
Going forward, Wolf says he'll be including others in the discussions surrounding Maye's readiness to start, saying it will be a "collaborative" decision.
"So we'll have those conversations as they arise," Wolf said. "I'm sure it's gonna be a collaborative approach as it's been so far with really all the big decisions that we've made. All four of the quarterbacks that we have on the roster right now are working hard and ready to go."
Wolf does not have a one-size-fits-all plan for his quarterbacks, saying "every person and player is different" and therefore requires a different approach.
"... I think you have to be true to what you're seeing and listen to the coaches and really understand who's ready, who's not ready," Wolf explained. " ... In this particular situation, Drake's been with us for about three weeks. So we'll kind of see how it goes here. Maybe he'll be ready, maybe he won't."
The Patriots quarterback room currently includes Maye, Brissett, Bailey Zappe, who came in for a benched Jones last season and 2024 sixth-round draft pick Joe Milton. Brissett was drafted by New England in 2016 and played there just one season. He has played for four other teams since then.
Brissett played in three games for the Washington Commanders last season, with no starts. The 31-year-old last started an NFL game during the 2022 season, when he was with the Cleveland Browns. He went 4-7 in his 11 starts that year.
