FOXBORO — All signs continue to point toward veteran Jacoby Brissett being the Patriots’ starting quarterback Week 1 against the Bengals.

But is it 100%? Not yet.

Patriots rookie Drake Maye spoke to reporters on Wednesday and danced around the topic of the starting quarterback job. But it doesn’t quite sound like even he’s fully buying head coach Jerod Mayo’s message that there’s still a competition for the role.

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Maye took snaps in practice from starting center David Andrews for the first time this summer on Wednesday. The two have taken the field together during the preseason, but only Brissett had worked with Andrews in practice.

Maye’s reaction to that was telling.

“You gotta be ready,” Maye said. “I’m one snap away, if I’m a backup, and DA’s going to be in there at starting center.”

Mayo said Wednesday that the Patriots will decide on their starting quarterback by Monday or Tuesday after Sunday night’s preseason finale. He did add that the team might not announce it on Monday or Tuesday, however.

Brissett is still the leader in the clubhouse for the job, however.

“It’s still a competition, and Jacoby is still QB1,” Mayo said. “It’s a competition amongst all the guys on the field, including the quarterback spot. So, hopefully that makes sense to you guys. But he’s still QB1.”

Mayo said the decision will be made by himself, executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf, offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt and the rest of the offensive staff.

By deciding on the Week 1 starter on Monday or Tuesday, it seems like Maye still has one major shot to prove he’s better than Brissett on Sunday against the Commanders.

“I think I’m just going to take advantage of my opportunities,” Maye said. “I think Jacoby’s done a great job. Great player, great teammate, he’s been repping with the ones the whole time. So, excited for him and trying to take advantage of the reps I do get and when I’m in there try to have some fun.”

It certainly seems like Maye believes Brissett is the Patriots’ starter. He wouldn’t go that far, however.

“I’m not 100% sure,” Maye said. “I know that Jacoby has played great. There’s opportunity for him to go out there and make a play anytime the play’s called. He knows the offense, he’s been a great teacher to me as a young rookie coming in here. Just excited to be able to learn from him, continue to learn from him throughout the season when real things start going.”

The Patriots and Steelers, who are deciding between Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are the only two teams who have not named a starting quarterback. Three other teams will be trotting rookies out at quarterback in Week 1: The Bears with No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, the Commanders with No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, and the Broncos with 12th overall pick Bo Nix. Other than Maye, the third overall pick, two other quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Vikings rookie J.J. McCarthy is out for the season with a knee injury, and Falcons rookie Michael Penix Jr. is set to back up Kirk Cousins.

The Patriots are in a different situation, however, and they’ve been conservative with Maye’s development. He played just six snaps in their preseason opener but then shined in last Thursday’s preseason game against the Eagles. He’s shown significant improvement since the joint practice against the Eagles that preceded that game. But Mayo declared training camp over on Monday. The team is now in a hybrid mode mimicking regular-season prepping this week and running fewer competitive drills and more scout-team work.

“Today, I would say this week is a little hybrid-type of week for us as far as preparation,” Mayo said before practice. “We’re still focusing on NEP [the New England Patriots], but at the same time trying to make sure our game planning and all that process – the scouting report process – goes smoothly. So, out here today, you’ll see some O [offense] vs. D [defense]. Some of that stuff is carded, right? It’s carded, so it’s like Washington plays offensively, defensively, and also special teams.”

Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton III served as the Patriots’ scout-team quarterbacks in practice, while Brissett and Maye mostly worked against a scout-team defense imitating the Commanders.

The Patriots’ quarterback competition might not be completely settled yet, but it would be a pretty major surprise if Maye managed to beat out Brissett at this point.

Mayo did say Wednesday that Maye is “100%” ready to run an NFL huddle, so even if Brissett starts in Week 1, there’s always a possibility that the rookie could replace him during the season.