The Drake Maye era is about to begin in New England.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo confirmed Wednesday the team will move forward with rookie Maye at quarterback, one day after news broke that the team is benching veteran Jacoby Brissett after a 1-4 start.
“Drake gives us the best chance to win now and going forward,” Mayo told reporters in a media session.
Maye and Brissett were informed of the decision by Mayo on Tuesday night, the coach revealed.
The Patriots named Brissett, 31, the starting quarterback ahead of the team’s Week 1 opener against the Bengals, a stunning 16-10 upset in Cincinnati.
New England has dropped four straight since then, including a 15-10 heartbreaker to the Dolphins at home Sunday.
Brissett, now in his second stint with the Patriots, has thrown two touchdowns against one interception through five games while completing 58.5 percent of his passes.
The Boston Herald reported Tuesday the decision to move forward with Maye, 22, “is not a knee-jerk reaction” after Sunday’s loss and that the move “has been in the works.”
The No. 3 pick in this year’s NFL draft, Maye showed flashes in the preseason and caught his first glimpse of regular-season action last month when he played in garbage time during a Week 3 loss to the Jets.
Mayo added Wednesday that Maye’s development continued to trend upward following an impressive training camp.
“I wouldn’t say the plan was expedited. At the end of training camp, he was trending up, and that never slowed down,” the first-year coach said, according to the Boston Herald.
Maye now has a tall task for his first NFL start: navigating the 4-1 Texans.
“There’s never a perfect time to make a change,” Mayo said, via Mass Live. “Every defense we play has the ability to rush and get after the quarterback.”
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Sunday.
