The Patriots have their new franchise quarterback — they hope.
New England stayed at No. 3 overall and selected Drake Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night, tabbing the North Carolina product as the team’s future signal-caller.
There was some posturing from the Patriots ahead of the draft, with scouting director and de facto general manager Eliot Wolf telling reporters last week the team was “open for business” with the No. 3 overall pick, but they decided to stand pat.
It didn’t work out well the last time the Patriots took a quarterback in the first round, as Mac Jones, who was a Pro Bowler as a rookie after being selected No. 15 overall in 2021, fizzled out and was traded to the Jaguars last month for just a sixth-round pick.
Jones threw for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a rookie, with the Patriots going 10-7 and making the playoffs, where they were crushed by the Bills in the wild-card round.
Doubts grew about Jones during his sophomore campaign, in which he threw for 2,997 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 14 games, and he followed it up with a miserable 2023 that saw several mid-game benchings before he was ultimately yanked for good in favor of Bailey Zappe.
The Patriots finished last season 4-13, the worst year in Bill Belichick’s 24 seasons in Foxborough, leading to Belichick and owner Robert Kraft parting ways after years of tension.
It’s been a rough four seasons for the Patriots since Tom Brady left in 2020 and immediately won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers.
New England hasn’t won a playoff game since their Super Bowl LIII win over the Rams five years ago and just missed the playoffs for the second straight year, the first time they failed to make the postseason in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
Now, with new head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots have a clean slate as they embark on a new era.
