FOXBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye is expected to make his big debut at Gillette Stadium Thursday night during the team’s first game of the 2024 preseason, head coach Jerod Mayo said.
The game between the Patriots and the Carolina Panthers is scheduled to kick off at 7 p.m. After Maye saw action during training camp, Mayo confirmed he will take snaps at some point Thursday.
“Drake will play,” Mayo told reporters on Wednesday. “Everyone who is healthy enough to get in the game will play in the game.”
For his part, Maye was taking preparations for the game in stride, saying “I don’t think about it much, at all.”
“[I’m] just trying to worry about myself and worry about what I control,” he said. “I look forward to getting in there in a preseason game and, right now at practice, I’m trying to take advantage of the reps I do get and make the most out of them.”
The Patriots selected Maye third overall in this year’s NFL draft.
Though many have high hopes for Maye as a potential future franchise quarterback, Mayo said veteran Jacoby Brissett is on track to be the Patriots’ Week 1 starter.
“We got to see what these guys can do with live action,” Mayo said of Maye and other Patriots rookies. “The expectation is that everyone’s always going to play. Like, we don’t want to just sit people out.”
Thursday night’s game does not mean anything in terms of standings. But after a difficult 2023 season and a busy offseason that saw the departure of former Patriots quarterback Mac Jones and longtime coach Bill Belichick, players said they are excited to get back on the field.
“Even though they call it just a dress rehearsal, for a lot of guys, this is their livelihood,” said Patriots lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. “For all of us, this is our livelihood. We have to get out here and go through our routine as if it’s a real game.”
After Thursday night’s game, the Patriots will continue their preseason schedule in the coming weeks with games against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders.
The Patriots will then open their season on Sept. 8 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals.
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