The Patriots entered Thursday as the lone NFL team not to have a confirmed Week 1 starter at quarterback.Now, they do. They are rolling with nine-year veteran Jacoby Bri sett over the No. 3 overall pick from the 2024 NFL Draft, Drake Maye.The Patriots have Carlos Correa Jersey named Jacoby Bri sett the starting quarterback. New England Patriots (@Patriots) New England's decision comes just a few days after first-year head coach Jerod Mayo said Maye had outplayed Bri sett during the preseason. The stats back that up, as Bri sett struggled with his accuracy in limited playing time while Maye flashed during the Patriots' preseason finale against the Commanders.Jacoby Bri settStatDrake Maye5/14 (35.7%)Comp/Att. (%)21/34 (61.8%)36Pa sing yards1920Pa s TDs11INTs02.6YPA5.60Carries70Rushing yards320Rush TDs1Even so, the Patriots' decision isn't too much of a surprise. Mayo also directly said that Maye was the team's second-best quarterback entering the 2024 season while New England's front office has preached patience when asked about throwing the touted draft pick directly into the fire.And Mayo further detailed that Bri sett's body of work dating back to the spring as well as his experience in New England's system made him the right choice as the team's Week 1 starting quarterback."I think it's important to remember, what's good for the team today may not be good for the team weeks down the line," Mayo said, per . "I think the challenge is you want to win every single game now, but also you're trying to build something special. So to me, that was a challenge."Starting Bri sett makes sense for the Patriots, considering their unsettled offensive line and their lack of a true No. 1 receiver. They can give their offense time to gel with Bri sett leading the charge; and if New England struggles with him starting, the team can eventually give Maye a shot to prove himself.Here's a look at New England's quarterback depth chart entering the 2024 NFL season.MORE: Patriots QB depth chart1 Aledmys Diaz Jersey . Jacoby Bri settThe Patriots signed Bri sett during the 2024 offseason to add veteran depth to their mostly barren quarterback depth chart. They intended to make him the team's starter while allowing any rookie signal-caller selected to learn under his tutelage.Bri sett thought that was the perfect role for him, as he told NFL Network in August."I'm the perfect person to mentor the guys, but I'm also the perfect person to start," he said, per .Now, Bri sett will get a chance to do that. He'll play in Week 1 against Houston Astros Jersey the Bengals and will look to improve upon his 18-30 career record as a starter. He has completed 61.3 percent of his career pa ses for 10,574 yards, 51 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.MORE: 2. Drake MayeMany will be disappointed that Maye didn't win the starting job out of the chute because of his upside. That said, Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt acknowledged the difficulty of starting a rookie quarterback in Week 1 shortly after New England announced its decision."That's the hardest position in sports is a quarterback. Especially for a rookie guy coming in and not seeing all the defense that they're going to see in the NFL," Van Pelt said, per . "It's tough. It's hard to transition in and it takes a little bit of time. So I think we're going to be as patient as we can with that proce Lance McCullers Jersey s."Giving Maye time to learn on the sidelines is a sensible choice. Not only should his understanding of the offense proce sing speed improve with time, but his offensive supporting cast should also improve. Notably, the Patriots are still figuring out their best alignment on the offensive line, so that unit could be better or at least more cohesive should Maye draw into the starting lineup over Bri sett later in the season.Maye will almost certainly play at some point during his rookie season barring a breakout season from Bri sett. Until then, fans will have to hope that Van Pelt and Co. can help him continue the progre s he made throughout the preseason as the team's No. 2 quarterback.MORE: 3 Francisco Liriano Jersey . Joe MiltonThe Patriots unconventionally chose two quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft, as they spent a sixth-round selection on Milton despite choosing Maye No. 3 overall.Milton is a toolsy prospect from Tenne see who has a cannon arm and great athleticism on his 6-5, 246-pound frame. He demonstrated his arm strength and mobility throughout the preseason, though his accuracy remained spotty. He completed just 11 of 30 pa ses (36.7 percent) but racked up 152 yards and a touchdown through the air and 54 rushing yards on 11 scrambles.Milton showed enough as a raw playmaker that New England opted to keep him as the team's No. 3 quarterback over Bailey Zappe. It will take time for the 24-year-old to become a more efficient pa ser and, more specifically, to develop his touch-throwing abilities but he's an exciting developmental project to keep behind Bri sett and Maye.