Tua Tagovailoa: I respect Drake Maye's game a lot

When the Dolphins played the Patriots earlier this season, Tyler Huntley started against Jacoby Brissett.

This weekend, the two teams will be starting their quarterbacks of the present and future in Tua Tagovailoa and Drake Maye.

It'll be the first of presumably many chances Tagovailoa and Maye have to play one another.

“I respect his game. I respect his game a lot,” Tagovailoa said of Maye in his Wednesday press conference. “He’s a rookie, so there’s going to be bumps within his journey, but you see a lot of flashes of things that he can do, not just inside the pocket, outside of the pocket as well. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and looking forward to competing against him.”

As for that “first of many” narrative, Tagovailoa said that’s just how the league is.

“It’s how it goes,” Tagovailoa said. “I wish him the best in his career that he’s just starting. Tough league, but with the right mindset, with the right people around him surrounding him, I think he’ll be doing good.”

In seven games with six starts this season, Maye has completed 66.7 percent of his passes for 1,236 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions — good for an 87.5 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 260 yards with a TD.