Jerod Mayo is yet to name the New England Patriots' starting quarterback for the season but says Drake Maye has closed the gap to Jacoby Brissett.
Rookie Maye has impressed in preseason so far, racking up 66 snaps and going 21-of-34 for 192 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also added seven rushes for 32 yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Brissett, who has struggled with a shoulder injury, started all three games, playing 27 snaps and finishing 5-of-14 for 36 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
Despite losing two of their three games, including a defeat to the Washington Commanders in their final outing on Sunday, Mayo has been pleased with the form shown by his quarterbacks, especially Maye.
"I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby," Mayo said on Monday in his weekly appearance on WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show'.
"Now in saying that, we have to take in the full body of work, going all the way back to the spring and beginning of training camp. And we'll see where we end up.
"It's Drake becoming more comfortable with the scheme and more comfortable with the players around him. I don't know how the story ends with Drake's rookie season, but all possibilities are open."
Mayo is set to tell the Patriots who will be playing as the quarterback on Tuesday in their season opener against the Cleveland Browns.
The coach has kept a close eye on his two options throughout the offseason, explaining how everything he has seen over the last few months has played a part in his decision.
"It starts in practice and also in the game, where Drake has played better," Mayo told reporters later on Monday.
"In saying that, everyone wants to know who the starter is going to be. There are multiple factors that have to go into this decision.
"One is the total body of work, whether we're talking about the spring or the entirety of training camp. And I would also say, oftentimes we forget about the overall experience that a guy like Jacoby has, which will also be weighted in the decision we have to make in the near future.
"I'm happy with the way those guys are battling it out. Hopefully, over the next couple days, we can name a starter and get the season rolling."
Cowboys reportedly give wide receiver Lamb massive $136million contract extension
CeeDee Lamb will begin the 2024 NFL season with a new contract.
The Dallas Cowboys signed the superstar to a four-year, $136million contract extension on Monday, according to multiple sources.
As part of the deal, he receives a $38million signing bonus - the largest ever for a wide receiver - and $100million in guaranteed money.
With an average annual value of $34million, he becomes the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, totalling just less than the $35million Justin Jefferson received from the Minnesota Vikings in early June.
Heading into the final year of his rookie contract after being selected 17th overall in the 2020 NFL draft, Lamb had been holding out of training camp while seeking a new contract.
The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the league's top receivers, leading the NFL with a Cowboys franchise-record 135 receptions in 2023. His 1,749 receiving yards were also the most in a single season in team history and were 50 fewer than the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill for the most in the NFL last year, while his 12 touchdown catches ranked third.
He was named an All-Pro for the first time this past season and finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
In 66 career games in four seasons, the three-time Pro Bowler has 395 receptions, 5,145 receiving yards and 32 touchdowns. Only Jefferson (5,899), Michael Thomas (5,512) and Randy Moss (5,396) have more receiving yards through their first four pro seasons.
Dallas finished 12-5 last season to capture the NFC East crown, but again failed to advance to the conference championship, suffering a 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round of the play-offs.
The Cowboys, who haven't reached the NFC title game since winning the Super Bowl in the 1995 season, open this season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on September 8.
Falcons make Terrell second highest-paid CB in NFL history with $81m deal
The Atlanta Falcons are making A.J. Terrell the second highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, handing him a four-year contract extension worth $81million.
Terrell will receive $65.8m in guaranteed money, according to a report from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
The Green Bay Packers' Jaire Alexander, who signed a four-year, $84m extension in 2022, is the only cornerback to earn more than Terrell will make on his new deal.
Terrell was selected 16th overall by Atlanta in the 2020 NFL draft and has only missed seven games through his first four seasons with the team.
He was set to play on his fifth-year rookie option, worth $12.3m, in 2024, but the team have moved to tie him down for the long-term with his bumper new deal.
Terrell was voted into the second All-Pro team in 2021 and has compiled 247 tackles, 43 passes defensed, four interceptions and one sack for the Falcons to date.
He was an ever-present as they went 7-10 for a third straight season under Arthur Smith in 2023, prompting them to fire the head coach and bring in Raheem Morris as his replacement.
Atlanta have been busy revitalising their offense during the offseason, completing a huge free agency move for former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins before drafting Michael Pinix Jr. eighth overall as his long-term successor.
Tying Terrell down was seen as a key requirement on the defensive side of the ledger, and news of his extension comes as a major boost ahead of their season opener versus the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 8.
NFL MVP Jackson not using outside criticism as motivation
Lamar Jackson is not using outside criticism as motivation as he looks to go one step further in 2024 and lead the Baltimore Ravens to the Super Bowl.
Jackson was named NFL MVP for the second time in the 2023 season, having previously claimed the award in 2019.
He recorded career-high figures for passes attempted (457), completed (307) and passing yards (3,678), also throwing for 24 touchdowns and totalling 821 rushing yards.
However, he was unable to lead Baltimore to Super Bowl LVIII as John Harbaugh's team were beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Jackson was criticised for his performance in that contest and has a 2-4 postseason record, but he is shutting out any noise surrounding his big-game displays ahead of the new season.
"I mean, I'm motivating myself because I know what I want to do, at the end of the day," he told reporters.
"Those guys have their time. I really don't care what the criticism is or what the critics say because at the end of the day, I just came off a season-ending injury the year before and we made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game in a new system.
"So, it's nothing to be down on myself, my team-mates or anything like that because we made it far, further than other years. We haven't been to the AFC in a long time…
"We've just got to keep going. We criticise ourselves more than anyone else. So, what people say on the outside, that's just their take.
"They can believe what they want to believe, but we know what we want, we know what we're striving for."
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