Drake Maye sitting out the Patriots season finale wouldn’t be the identical as tanking.
Positive, it’d assist New England declare the No. 1 choose within the 2025 NFL Draft, which needs to be the franchise’s desired outcome. However the Patriots can justify sitting Maye. They’d be doing what’s finest for the way forward for the workforce, and in additional methods than one.
“A hundred percent targeted on beating the Buffalo Payments, and that’s what we now have to do,” Patriots head coach Mayo stated Monday, unsurprisingly pushing again on deliberately shedding.
Mayo isn’t going to outright say it, and not everybody will agree, however the determination might be defined.
At the beginning, it could guarantee Maye, the workforce’s prime asset by far, enters his first offseason wholesome. Based mostly on the stress Maye has confronted and the hits he’s taken — he’s now been checked for a concussion twice in 11 begins — that’s no insignificant feat. And what’s there to study Maye in Week 18? He’s proven sufficient. He’s the way forward for the franchise no matter how he performs towards Buffalo Payments backups in a meaningless season finale.
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And is there actually the rest to glean from Mayo and his teaching employees? Isn’t there sufficient proof the Patriots are a poorly coached workforce that persistently will get in its personal means?
The Patriots can be additional justified in sitting Maye given it could open the door for fellow rookie Joe Milton III. Milton, who’s served because the emergency quarterback on gameday behind Maye and Jacoby Brissett, has but to make his skilled debut. Milton “completely” is in consideration to play towards the Payments, in line with Mayo.
There’s loads of future worth to be gained in beginning Milton, too. Coaches and teammates praised Milton’s work behind the scenes, however he hasn’t taken the sphere on gameday. This might give him that probability whereas serving as a measuring stick for his development from the preseason.
Maybe Milton exhibits out and cements himself as an actual asset for the Patriots shifting ahead, whether or not as a backup QB or commerce chip. A 300-yard, three-touchdown efficiency in a meaningless sport doesn’t imply a workforce would undoubtedly commerce for him. However they’re most likely not lining as much as commerce for him now with zero regular-season reps, both.
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The identical thought course of goes up and down the roster. Give rookie wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker all of the receiver reps, no matter how they’ve carried out. It’s time to enter the fireplace. Give rookie offensive sort out Caedan Wallace all of the reps at proper sort out. Give Cole Unusual a second consecutive begin at middle in hopes he enters the offseason on a excessive be aware.
If Milton connects with a Baker on a game-winning landing to beat Mitchell Trubisky and the second-seeded Payments, effectively, so be it. The Patriots would fall out of the working for the No. 1 choose, however that landing can be a constructive outcome for the long run, too.
That’s finally how the Patriots ought to view it — and it’s how they’ll justify it.
