What Jerod Mayo said about Drake Maye, other key topics on Day 1 of voluntary OTAs

For those who want to see third overall draft pick Drake Maye in at starting quarterback for the Patriots as soon as possible? You may just get your wish.

For those who want to see Maye get a chance if and when the coaching staff deems him ready, whenever that may be? You may just get your wish, too.

And for those who’d like to see Maye sit out his rookie year and have the Pats be extra careful with their prized asset and QB of the future? You may just get your wish as well.

Heck, if there are chaos agent fans who want Bailey Zappe or Joe Milton to shock the world and win the job…they may just get their wish! Probably not, but according to head coach Jerod Mayo, everyone is going to get a crack at being QB.

Speaking with the media on the first day of voluntary OTAs at Gillette Stadium, first-year head coach Jerod Mayo declared no starting quarterback and said every QB is going to get their chance to shine this spring.

“All these guys will get their opportunities,” he said. “It’s really not about how many reps here and there, it’s about the quality of those reps that they get.”

Mayo, seeming energized and excited about getting voluntary practices underway, struck a fair and balanced tone when it came to everything related to his team’s new offense. When asked what kind of offense the Pats would be running, he called it “an AVP offense,” referring to new offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. He said the wide receiver battle is “a wide open competition” with a good mix of veterans, rookies and newcomers working together, noting that Kendrick Bourne won’t be out there in the spring as he continues to recover from ACL reconstruction surgery.

Obviously, of greatest interest to media and fans alike is the progress of Drake Maye, and his new coach seems impressed with his new signal caller’s efforts.

“You can already tell he’s going to put in that extra work,” said Mayo, adding, “I walk by the quarterback meeting room, he’s just in there by himself watching film. Those are the things that you want to see.”

Mayo did note curiously that his QBs, from Maye to fellow rookie Joe Milton to veterans Jacoby Brisset and Bailey Zappe, all have “a similar skillset.” Seems the new coach doesn’t want to be playing favorites this early on in the process.

A couple other key takeaways from the rookie head coach:

**Mayo said as far as the practice being optional that “the attendance is great”, though he noted veteran defender Matthew Judon wasn’t there today, though he didn’t sound worried in the least.

**Paramount to everything else to Mayo is seeing his guys on the field and leaving under their own power in good condition. “Our number one goal has to be to get out of the spring healthy.”

**On the health front, JuJu Smith-Schuster is in attendance and “looks good” while third-year guard Cole Strange is “month to month” as he continues to recover from offseason knee surgery.

**When asked whether he would have liked an earlier bye week (the Patriots don’t have  a week off until Week 14, as late as it can be in the 2024 season), Mayo uttered some of his former coach’s famous words, “It is what it is”.

**And as to what role Matthew Slater will be fulfilling with the team, Mayo, a former teammate of Slater, said he will be a multi-faceted asset for the club. “The thing about Slate is he can wear so many different hats.” Mayo added that the recently retired multi-time Pro Bowler will be offering assistance to special teams as well as being a confidant to the coach and providing something he did as a player as well: “spiritual leadership.”

It’s early, the pads aren’t on and contact is still months away. There’s obviously a lot of work to do on the field and in the meeting and film rooms for a team in need of renovation and repair. Time will tell when and if Maye will be ready to take over the position they drafted him for, but it seems the ever upbeat Mayo feels like his players are coming together as a team, a necessary first step in their growth and rebound.

“Hopefully, we’ve built a sense of camaraderie amongst our teammates and coaches, and really getting a fundamental understanding of how we want to play,” Mayo said.