The Drake Maye era in New England began earlier than many had anticipated.
With the game against the Jets out of reach, Maye made his NFL debut on Thursday night with just over four minutes remaining in what would end in a 24-3 victory for the Jets at MetLife Stadium.
Maye was selected No. 3 overall in this year's draft, with the idea since training camp that the Duke product would develop under starter Jacoby Brissett.
After Brissett was limited to just 94 passing yards and sacked five times, the Pats considered giving Maye a chance to take center, though it was an unceremonious moment for the rookie.
Maye's first career NFL throw was nearly intercepted and four of his eight attempts fell as incomplete passes.
Maye was sacked twice for a loss of 13 yards.
Maye managed to move the Patriots down the field 46 yards and finished the series with 22 passing yards.
He added another 12 yards on the ground and finished with a passer rating of 56.2.
His first completed pass was a toss to running back Antonio Gibson.
Maye's NFL debut came with a chance to face future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, who was playing his first game at MetLife Stadium as a Jet since suffering a season-ending injury in last year's season opener.
Maye apparently waited nearby while Rodgers did a postgame interview with Prime Video so he could shake his hand, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
“I'm expecting the greatest of all time,” Maye was quoted as saying by the NFL source.
The Patriots are scheduled to face the 49ers next week.
