The Patriots’ success depends on the development of QB Drake Maye

Regardless of the final results in the first year of the Jerod Mayo era, this will be a successful season for the Patriots if they can end up calling quarterback Drake Maye their beacon of hope and rightful successor to Brady. That’s all. That’s the answer. That’s all it takes for 2024 to be included in the Patriots’ positive development column.

It would be a success if Mayo and Eliot Wolf, the executive vice president of player personnel, could look at Maye, the No. 3 overall pick, and say he’s “The Next Guy” in January 2025.

Mayo was asked on Friday what would define this season as successful. “I really don’t want to focus too far into the future,” he said. “What I can say is that the team you see this week, you want them to get better every week and play their best game in December.”

That’s an understandable and common answer. But if that best football doesn’t mean Maye looks like a franchise QB in the making, then the team’s best football won’t mean much in the grand scheme of a major rebuild.

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Segment produced by Derrick Willand.

Christopher L. Gasper is a columnist for the Globe. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @cgasper and on Instagram @cgaspersports.