Coming into the 2023 NFL season, the New England Patriots were expected to be a team that might turn things around after making a few changes during the offseason, namely bringing in Bill O’Brien as the team’s new offensive coordinator.
The lack of guidance on offense was a big problem for the Patriots last year, as it seemed as though one-time Pro Bowl quarterback Mac Jones had no idea how to get the offense going in order to put points on the board consistently.
Unfortunately for Jones, it seems as though he might’ve been the problem all along, as things didn’t get any better this season, which has led to head coach Bill Belichick making the decision to bench him in favor of Bailey Zappe.
In Week 13, Zappe got the start for the Patriots, but the results remained the same, with the team losing yet another game.
Not only did the Patriots lose to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at home at Gillette Stadium, but they failed to score, resulting in the lowest combined score of the season at six points.
At this point, it seems clear that a major change needs to happen in New England, starting with the quarterback, which could be the team’s target as they currently own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, meaning it could be Drake Maye who is next quarterback for the storied franchise via Benjamin Solak of The Ringer.
With the Patriots' loss to the Chargers and the Cardinals' win over the Steelers, the Patriots are the only 2-loss team in the league. They currently own the second overall pick.
(this is Drake Maye, sorry, it's confusing that he also wears 10) pic.twitter.com/jLHDlUSS5n
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) December 3, 2023
Much like the 2023 draft class, there will be a handful of talented quarterbacks coming into the NFL, which means the Patriots will have no shortage of options if they stay at No. 2 overall.
Maye (North Carolina) is one of those options, along with Caleb Williams (USC), Bo Nix (Oregon), Jayden Daniels (LSU), and Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), to name a few.
NEXT: Bill Belichick Reveals Why Mac Jones Was Benched