Before the 2024 draft started, the Patriots had three quarterbacks on the roster. They now have five.
Coach Jerod Mayo was asked by reporters whether he envisions keeping five on the roster for the offseason program, or whether someone could be moved.
“Well, that’s yet to be seen,” Mayo said, via the transcript distributed by the team. “At this current time, we’re still on the phone right now with potential free agents coming up here soon. We’ll see how all the dominos kind of play out, but at the same time, you want to have a strong group. You want to have a strong room. I would say the way it looks now, we have a very strong room.”
They already had Jacoby Brissett, Bailey Zappe, and Nathan Rourke. The Patriots added Drake Maye with the third overall pick and Joe Milton III in round six, six spots before the notorious Tom Brady spot of No. 199.
“We’re in the business of trying to get good football players through the door, and Milton happens to be one of them,” Mayo said. “Obviously he understands we took a quarterback at three in Drake. One thing that we preach is competition. Everything is about competition, and nothing is given. All of it’s earned. That’s how we thought about the process.”
Given his size (six-five and 235), could Milton potentially play other positions?
“Yeah, we’ll have to see how that plays out once we put the pads on, but we drafted him as a quarterback,” Mayo said.
Chances are Rourk would be the first to go, with Zappe possibly lingering through training camp and the preseason. On game days, it likely will be Maye, Brissett, and Milton as the game-day emergency quarterback. Unless he is on the active roster in order to contribute elsewhere.
Like Mayo said, we’ll have to see how that plays out.