Jacoby Brissett remains the Patriots' starting QB ahead of Drake Maye

After the New England Patriots' 24-3 loss to the New York Jets on Thursday night, head coach Jerod Mayo made non-committal comments about a possible quarterback change.

Speaking to the media on Friday morning, Mayo made it clear that the team will field experienced Jacoby Brissett.

“Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he's not the quarterback. I thought he showed a lot of toughness and a lot of grit on defensive errors last night,” Mayo said.

After completing just 12 of 18 passes for 98 yards as pressure (five sacks) continued to be a factor, Brissett was benched for Drake Maye late in the fourth quarter. On offense, the freshman completed 4 of 8 passes for 22 yards with two scrambles for 12 yards. Maye was also sacked twice.

“Coming off the bench at this point is always tough, no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position,” Mayo said Monday morning. “I thought he did well, trying to build a drive and build something. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to get out there and do some live drills.”

“I thought it was a great experience for him to be there, especially in a night game in New York,” added offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. “I thought it was a great start for him. He definitely needs to improve some things in his game. But he made some shots and made some plays with his legs. I'm confident in his future as well.”

Among the things that needed improvement was Maye's foot game, which has been a focus for Van Pelt and the offensive coaching staff since Maye was signed in April. There were some expected issues in his debut.

“Up and down. There were some things to correct. That's usually the case when you first get out there with live ammunition. It can change your feet and regress,” Van Pelt said of the footwork. “We're still in the development phase there. But the progress he's made over the course of spring and summer camp and preseason games, he can obviously do that and take it to the next level.”

Nine days before the next game, Mayo announced that the current practice splits – in which Maye has taken 30 percent of the first-team reps – will remain “status quo” as Brissett remains the starting quarterback.

Although the rookie is expected to take the field at some point this summer, it is now believed that continuing to watch from the sidelines will continue to be beneficial to Maye's development.

“I still believe that you learn by watching,” Van Pelt said. “I think there is still a lot to learn and that is my opinion.”