Patriots' Jerod Mayo addresses what Bill Belichick said about Drake Maye

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick went viral for his on-air breakdown of the club making quarterback Drake Maye the third overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft this past Thursday night. 

During an appearance on WEEI’s "The Greg Hill Show," current Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo addressed Belichick's reaction to the Maye pick. 

"None of these quarterbacks are coming in here ready to play," Mayo acknowledged about rookie signal-callers, as shared by Ricky Doyle of NESN. "I actually think Coach (Belichick) said that — like, the only player that he knows that was ready to play once he came into the league was Lawrence Taylor. And so, it’s very hard to sit here and say, 'Alright, this guy’s going to play.' What I will say is he’s going to compete. We have a solid quarterback room, in our opinion, and they’re going to compete, and the best player will play."

Specifically, Belichick sounded skeptical regarding Maye being compared to Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen and Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers. Belichick also suggested Maye must improve multiple aspects of his game before he's ready to face live NFL defenses in meaningful contests. 

For what it's worth, multiple analysts said throughout the pre-draft process that Maye should sit as a rookie behind a veteran such as New England's Jacoby Brissett. However, Mayo has hinted on multiple occasions that he will give Maye opportunities to win the starting job this summer. 

Mayo played under Belichick from 2008 through the 2015 season and first joined the legendary coach's staff as inside linebackers coach in 2019.

"Look, he’s tremendous," Mayo added about Belichick. "And when you get a chance to learn from a guy like that, and I’m sure the fans are very excited to hear from a guy like that and see the other side of Bill. I think it’s great. I did not watch it, though. I was kind of busy during that time." 

Belichick reportedly will serve as a recurring guest on ESPN's "ManningCast" alternate broadcasts of "Monday Night Football" games this fall. Whether he likes it or not, Mayo being asked for responses to comments Belichick makes about the Patriots could become somewhat of a weekly tradition for the first-year head coach before and during the 2024 season.