New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo has informed his team that Jacoby Brissett will be New England’s Week 1 starting quarterback against the Cincinnati Bengals, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler on Thursday.
Brissett, a ninth-year veteran, was selected to start over rookie Drake Maye, whom the Patriots selected No. 3 overall in this year’s draft.
Brissett had been atop the depth chart since the start of practices in the spring, but Maye made his move over the past two weeks of training camp and the preseason. Mayo had said that once Maye became less deferential, the gap between them closed to the point that Maye was playing better than Brissett in that time frame.
But Brissett’s experience has been cited by coaches as critical. He has 48 career starts and in 2022 with the Cleveland Browns played in a similar offense to what the Patriots have implemented under coordinator Alex Van Pelt, the former Browns assistant.
Mayo said Wednesday that he had decided on a starting quarterback but that he wanted to talk to Brissett and Maye directly and inform the team before making any announcement.
Information from ESPN’s Mike Reiss was used in this report.