New England Patriots sensational Quarterback set to Join the Pittsburgh Steelers as they progress to New Season with the Blockbuster deal
No matter how good the team or quarterback, every NFL franchise has questions surrounding the most important position on the field. Some of those might be as simple as “Who is the starter?” Some might have to do with contract situations or injury recoveries. Some might have more to do with the supporting group than with the QB himself. But especially when we’re this far out from the season, every team has at least one quarterback question it still hopes to get answered at some point before or during the season.
With that in mind, we wanted to take a look at one that each team is facing and try to get a sense of whether (and when) they might be able to answer it.
Have the Patriots surrounded Drake Maye with enough talent to develop him?
Having used the third overall pick in the draft on Maye, the Patriots know their long-term fate is tied to whether he’s a success. Maye doesn’t turn 22 until Aug. 30, and there are people who believe he could benefit from sitting and developing rather than being thrown in as a Week 1 starter. One of the questions the Patriots have to answer before making that decision is whether the team around Maye is strong enough to support him.
A wide receiver corps headlined by Kendrick Bourne, DeMario Douglas and JuJu Smith-Schuster doesn’t inspire a ton of confidence, and a lot might come down to how soon second-round pick Ja’Lynn Polk is ready to contribute in a meaningful way. The Pats also have plenty of youth and question marks along the offensive line. As they monitor Maye’s development this summer, the Patriots need to assess this situation. Supporting cast may not be the only reason Mac Jones didn’t make it as a franchise quarterback, but it certainly didn’t help.
It looks like a camp competition between newly acquired veteran Russell Wilson and newly acquired youngster Justin Fields. The Steelers are not financially committed to Wilson to any extent that establishes him as the clear favorite — they are paying him just $1.21 million this season, as the bulk of the $36 million salary is being paid by the Broncos. In fact, they’re actually paying Fields more at $3.233 million guaranteed.
Coach Mike Tomlin has said Wilson opens the offseason as the “starter,” but Fields will get a chance to compete and show what he can do. Whichever one of them shows the greatest aptitude for Arthur Smith’s offense throughout the offseason and in training camp should get the Week 1 nod — and the first opportunity to audition to be the team’s quarterback beyond 2024.
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