It’s an exciting time for Drake Maye and company.

After backing up Jacoby Brissett through the first five games of the season, the New England Patriots decided to go with the rookie as their starting quarterback Sunday.

New England selected Maye out of North Carolina with the third overall pick of the draft after fielding several offers from teams to move up.

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New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) passes against the Washington Commanders during the first half of a preseason game on August 25, 2024 in Landover, Maryland. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

The decision came earlier this week and Maye’s friend couldn’t contain her excitement.

Ann Michael Hudson posted on her Instagram Story that Maye got the nod.

“YAY!!!!! So excited,” she wrote with a smile and a heart emoji via the New York Post.

“We try to win every game. At the time, we thought Jacoby would give us the best chance to go out and win games,” Pats coach Jerod Mayo said Wednesday, a day after the decision was first reported. “Drake gives us the best chance to win now and in the future. He has developed. He is getting better every week.”

“It’s something you dream about, your first start in the NFL,” Maye said. “It’s an opportunity, against a good football team, to go out and prove people wrong.”

Quarterback Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels poses for portraits after being selected third overall in the first round by the New England Patriots during the 2024 NFL Draft on April 25, 2024, in Detroit. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

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Brissett was named the starter in training camp, and given the difficulty of the Pats’ schedule, it made sense to develop Maye.

New England disrupted the Cincinnati Bengals on the road in Week 1, but the Pats have lost four in a row since then.

Brissett has completed just 58.5% of his passes for two touchdowns, and the Pats are widely considered possibly the worst team in the NFL, along with the Carolina Panthers.

In his two seasons at North Carolina, Maye threw for 7,929 yards with a 64.9% completion percentage. He threw for 62 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while racking up 16 scores. He was first-team All-ACC in 2022 and second-team last season. Last season he passed for 3,608 yards and 24 touchdowns.

Drake Maye of the New England Patriots throws during practice on May 29, 2024 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Maye made his NFL debut in New England’s 24–3 loss to the Jets in New Jersey, completing four of his eight passes after Brissett was benched.

The Pats play the Houston Texans at home on Sunday. Texans’ Nico Collins is out with a hamstring injury.

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