FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts – New England Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Friday that the team is giving rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, significantly more practice sessions with the top offense than a backup player would normally get.

Mayo confirmed that Maye will get 30% of the first-team action behind experienced starter Jacoby Brissett.

“It’s no secret, we have a quarterback in the backcourt that needs to develop. Usually the starter gets, let’s say, 95% of the reps. This is a little different,” Mayo said. “I think the issue is, ‘How do you get your starting quarterback ready for the game while also developing the guy in the back, so Drake?’ And so it’s about a 70-30 split.”

The CBS broadcast of the Patriots’ season-opening win over the Cincinnati Bengals was the first to mention the special agreement with Maye, which Mayo spoke about in detail for the first time on Friday.

“We’ve been very thoughtful. When we talked about a development plan for Drake, that was part of it,” Mayo said. “I’ve tried not to get too into what that plan actually looks like, but he’s still playing with the starters and doing a good job on the (scout) team as well. He’s doing a good job and you can see his confidence continues to grow.”

Maye, who turned 22 on Aug. 30, started 26 times during his college career at the University of North Carolina, fewer than other quarterbacks selected in the first round, including Caleb Williams (33) of the Chicago Bears, No. 2 Jayden Daniels (55) of the Washington Commanders and No. 12 Bo Nix (61) of the Denver Broncos – all three of whom started for their NFL teams in Week 1.

Maye had made a push for the Patriots’ starting spot during the final two weeks of training camp and the preseason, Mayo said, but Brissett’s overall performance and his experience in offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt’s system were the main reasons the team held onto Brissett, according to Mayo.

Mayo praised Brissett’s handling of the 70:30 rep split in training.

“From day one, I’ve always said he’s a true professional. I’ve always said he’s a great mentor, not only to Drake, but to (rookie Joe) Milton,” Mayo said. “He’s won games in this league and he understands that we selected Drake No. 3 in the draft. When you look out the windshield, at some point – I don’t know when that time will come – (Maye) is going to have to go out there and play.”

Maye’s locker is right next to Brissett’s in the locker room, the same seat Brissett had in 2016 when he sat next to Tom Brady. Brissett has said he hopes to be the same kind of mentor to Maye as Brady was to him, which Mayo credits him with.

“Just seeing the relationship in the quarterback room was special to me,” Mayo said. “It’s very hard when you talk about leaving your ego at the door; Jacoby is one of those guys that wants the best for the team.”

Brissett completed 15 of 24 passes for 121 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in the Patriots’ 16-10 win over the Bengals. He also rushed for 32 yards on seven carries, giving the team 170 total rushing yards in a run-first game plan.

Van Pelt noted that Brissett “played to the best of his ability” and “mostly put us in a position to win the game. He knew how we were going to win and played accordingly.”

Van Pelt also said that Maye takes every opportunity to learn from Brissett – in the meeting room and on the field – and stressed that he is doing “great” so far.

Maye told ESPN he was prepared as if he were the starter – which is the mindset a reserve player should have – and that wearing an earpiece on the sidelines during games was beneficial.

“I play the game from the sidelines,” Maye explained. “You obviously don’t have the same perspective, but at the same time, I’ve been learning all week and expecting the looks and saying, ‘That’s what we thought.’ Most of the time, I knew where Jacoby was going to go with the football before it happened. I just tried to play the game and at the same time help Jacoby with whatever he needs.”

The Patriots (1-0) host the Seattle Seahawks (1-0) on Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET, Fox).