Patriots QB Drake Maye clears protocol, will start against Titans

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has cleared the concussion protocol and will start Sunday’s road game against the Tennessee Titans, the team announced Saturday.

Maye entered protocol last Sunday in the second quarter of the Patriots’ 25-22 victory over the New York Jets. He was a limited participant in the training sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week.

Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 draft, was named the Patriots’ starter in Week 6 after veteran Jacoby Brissett opened the year as the top quarterback. Maye has helped spark what had been a stagnant offense, going 53-of-84 for 564 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 13 rushes for 114 yards and one touchdown.

During an 18-yard scramble in the first quarter last week, Maye was about to slide at the end of the run when Jets linebacker Jamien Sherwood’s helmet made contact with the back of Maye’s helmet. Maye came up slowly, but stayed in the match four more times.

After Maye came to the sideline following a punt, the NFL’s independent concussion spotter requested evaluation of the quarterback, coach Jerod Mayo said. Brissett took over the rest of the match and helped lead the team to a comeback win, with Mayo saying Maye told him at half-time that he had hoped to return in the second half.

Patriots offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Thursday that the Patriots don’t want to limit Maye’s running, but emphasized that he needs to be aware of when he takes off.

“You hate to take that away from a player. That’s a strength of his, the ability to come out of the pocket,” Van Pelt said. “All we talked about was being safe in the slide. A lot of times you come into the space and you feel like you’re clean and you can go feet first, and that’s what we coach in the open space. But you never know what’s coming behind. So the quarterbacks who tend to avoid injuries will find a weak spot by going head first and going down in that regard.

“It’s something we continue to work on, with him – understanding what’s going on around you in those situations. But at the end of the day, we ask him every play to protect the ball and protect himself. That goes for every quarterback.”

Against the Titans (1-6), the Patriots (2-6) want to win back-to-back games for the first time since October 2022.