Jacoby Brissett to remain Patriots starting quarterback ahead of Drake Maye

Following the New England Patriots ' 24-3 loss to the New York Jets Thursday night, head coach Jerod Mayo was non-committal about a potential quarterback change.

Speaking to the media Friday morning, Mayo made it clear the team will be rolling with veteran Jacoby Brissett.

"Jacoby is our quarterback until I say he's not the quarterback. I thought last night, he showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit on protection breakdowns," Mayo said.

After completing just 12-of-18 passes for 98 yards as pressure (five sacks) continued to be a factor, Brissett was sat down late in the fourth quarter for Drake Maye. In one drive of work, the rookie went 4-of-8 for 22 yards with two scrambles for 12 yards. Maye was additionally sacked twice.

"Coming off the bench at that time is always tough no matter what position, but especially at the quarterback position," Mayo said Monday morning. "I thought he did handle himself well and tried to put a drive together and something to build off of. I thought it was a good opportunity for him to go out there and get some live reps."

"I thought it was a great experience for him to get in, especially in a night game in New York," offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt added. "I thought it was a great start for him. Definitely some things to clean up in his game. But made some throws, made some plays with his legs. I'm encouraged about his future as well."

Among the things to clean up was Maye's footwork, which has been a focus for Van Pelt and the offensive coaching staff since drafting Maye in April. In his debut, there were some expected issues.

"Up and down. There was some things there to correct. That's usually the case the first time you're out for live bullets. It can change your feet, revert back," Van Pelt said about the footwork. "We're still a work in progress there. But the strides he's made over the course of the spring and the summer camp and the games in preseason, obviously he'll be able to do that and take it to the next level."

With nine days now in before their next game, Mayo shared the current practice splits — where Maye has been taking 30 percent of the first team reps — will remain "status quo" as Brissett remains the starting quarterback.

While the rookie should still see the field at some point this summer, the belief now is it remains advantageous for Maye's development to continue to watch on the sideline.

"I still think it's by watching," Van Pelt said. "I think there's a lot to be learned yet, and that's where I'll stand on that."