Would Patriots consider sitting Drake Maye with No. 1 overall pick at stake?
Based on Jerod Mayo’s comments Monday morning, little has been decided about how the Patriots will approach Sunday’s game against the Bills.
Mayo wouldn’t even guarantee that rookie quarterback Drake Maye would start the final game of the season.
“I would say right now, everything is in consideration, and we’ll see how the week goes,” Mayo said.
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Maye missed a series in Saturday’s 40-7 loss to the Chargers while being evaluated for a head injury. The rookie QB said after the game that he got his bell rung, but he returned to the game until the final series, when he was once again replaced by veteran backup Jacoby Brissett.
If Maye sits Sunday, it would have “nothing to do with” the helmet-to-helmet hit he took Saturday, according to Mayo.
“It has everything to do with — look, it’s the last game of the season, and we have to look forward,” Mayo said on WEEI. “It’s a journey. It’s not just about one game. It is trying to be present and win this football game, but it’s a journey, and we’ve gotta look out the front windshield about where we want to go.”
Mayo was asked Monday if Maye is in concussion protocol. After initially saying “no,” he doubled back and said, “as far as my understanding, he is not in the protocol.”
The head coach said he would know for sure later on Monday.
It might be in the Patriots’ best interest in the future to sit Maye against the Bills, who likely will be playing backups since they have the No. 2 seed in the AFC locked up with no possibility of moving above the Chiefs. The Patriots currently hold the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If they lose to the Bills, they’ll lock that slot up. If they beat the Bills, there’s a strong possibility that the Browns, Titans or Giants could move above them. The Patriots are locked into a top 5 pick regardless of Sunday’s result.
When initially asked how draft order would affect the Patriots’ gameplan this weekend, Mayo, who still could be fighting for his job as head coach in 2025, said, the team is “100% focused on beating the Buffalo Bills.”
Mayo was asked Monday if he’s been given assurances by team owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft that he’ll return next season.
“I’m always in constant communication with ownership, and I feel like we’re still on the same page,” Mayo said.
Mayo wouldn’t divulge details of his conversations with the Krafts about draft order but would say, “They’re all about winning football games. So that’s my job, to get the guys out there ready to go.”
The Patriots do have one other quarterback decision to make Sunday, and that’s regarding sixth-round pick Joe Milton and whether to make him active for the first time this season.
Milton has served as the Patriots’ emergency third quarterback in all 16 games, meaning he could only enter a game if Maye and Brissett (who is still a captain despite not having a patch on his jersey Saturday — it fell off pre-game) suffer injuries.
Mayo said it’s “absolutely a possibility” to make Milton active against the Bills. For the best combination of entertainment purposes and future considerations, starting Milton would give the Patriots a look at the future while keeping hopes alive of maintaining the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Mayo said multiple times on WEEI that “everything is on the table” this weekend.
Stay tuned.