How Patriots' Drake Maye has already impressed Jacoby Brissett

Rookie quarterback Drake Maye hasn't yet spent an entire month as a member of the New England Patriots but has already impressed veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett.

"He’s got a lot of talent," Brissett said about Maye on Thursday, as shared by Mark Daniels of MassLive. "He can make all the throws. He wants to learn football. He wants to get better. That’s what you want. Not only in your quarterback but anybody on the team. He’s already texting me about plays, how do I think about this and cadence and stuff like that. The little nuances of being in this position."

The Patriots signed Brissett in free agency before the club made Maye the third overall pick of this year's draft. While head coach Jerod Mayo has suggested that he'll hold a competition for the club's starting job, Mayo raised some eyebrows when he acknowledged this past weekend that Maye "has a lot to work on." 

"I have no ego in this where I feel like I should do this or it’s like, whatever’s for me is going to happen for me," Brissett said about battling with Maye for the Week 1 QB1 gig. "Whatever’s going to happen for the next person is going to happen for the next person. It’s about being ready when the time comes."

Multiple analysts have said that Maye needs to sit and develop as a backup, in part because he's a raw prospect and also because the Patriots lack talent on their offensive line and at playmaker positions. Brissett sounds ready to help Maye grow regardless of where the 31-year-old begins September on the team's depth chart. 

"When people ask that about (mentoring) other guys, I don’t understand the bad part," Brissett said. "I’m a teammate first. I hope I can be a good teammate to not only him but everyone on this team."

As of Thursday, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Maye eighth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for this season. Brissett seems on track to start when the Patriots open the campaign at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 8.