Rob Gronkowski warns Patriots fans against pushing for Drake Maye to start Week 5
It's been a struggling season for the New England Patriots, who are in Year 1 of their new rebuild under Jerod Mayo. The Patriots hold a 1-3 record in the first four games of their season.
As part of their rebuild, the franchise selected rookie quarterback Drake Maye with the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The team also brought back veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to compete for the starting quarterback job
While Brissett won the job and is New England's starter, some fans are lobbying for the team to put in Maye. However, former New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski thinks it could hurt his confidence if he got put in now with the same result.
"Patriots fans, I know what you're saying," Gronkowski said. "'Put Drake Maye in, this offense needs a spark.' But I'm telling you, it will be the same old story with Drake Maye in, if he replaces Jacoby Brissett. He'll be getting sacked."
"The offensive line will be letting guys go through, putting pressure on him. You don't want to ruin his confidence. Wait 'til at least Week 12."
Gronkowski has a point. No matter what quarterback gets put in for the Patriots, they will be under pressure. The Patriots allow a league-high 10 quarterback hits per game. Maye would be pressured more than the average rookie quarterback, which is not ideal.
The Pats have a rookie guard (Layden Robinson), a second-year left guard (Sidy Sow) and a rookie offensive line coach (Scott Peters.) Captain David Andrews is also coming fresh off of a shoulder injury.
Drake Maye could benefit from sitting the entirety of his rookie year
While teams ideally would like to see their rookie quarterbacks start right away, sometimes, they should sit behind a veteran for some time and develop. Look at Brett Favre, who sat his rookie year, and then Aaron Rodgers, who sat for three years behind Favre. Patrick Mahomes sat his rookie season backing up Alex Smith before taking over as Kansas City's full-time starter the next season.
Further, Jordan Love sat behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons. He threw for over 30 touchdowns last season and became one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. Sometimes, sitting behind a quarterback for a year or multiple years can help the development of younger quarterbacks.
Do you think Drake Maye will start at all this season?