FOXBOROUGH– Jerod Mayo left a clue about Drake Maye On Wednesday, that could mean good news for the Patriots.

During his weekly press conference, the Patriots the coach revealed that Maye was in the NFL’s concussion protocol and would practice on a limited basis and throw some passes. Later, when asked if the rookie quarterback could practice for more than 30 minutes, Mayo replied, “No.”

This information is important.

According to the NFL’s concussion protocol, players must go through five phases before returning to play. When Mayo said Maye could practice, but it couldn’t last more than 30 minutes, that meant the quarterback had already passed the first two phases of the protocol.

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Phase 3 of the protocol is where players can perform soccer-specific drills.

It reads, in the return to play protocol, as follows:

“The player continues with supervised cardiovascular exercises that are augmented and can mimic sport-specific activities, and supervised strength training is introduced. The player is permitted to practice with the team in sport-specific drills for 30 minutes or less, under continuous and careful supervision.

This lines up with what Mayo said when he noted that Maye could practice and throw passes, but it wouldn’t last more than 30 minutes.

So what does this mean for Maye and Sunday’s game at Tennessee?

At this point, there is still a glimmer of hope that the Patriots will get their rookie quarterback against the Titans. At this point, Maye has three more steps in the NFL protocol before he can return to practice and a game.

After Wednesday, Maye will be able to move on to Phase 4 – if he shows no signs of a concussion. If that happens, he transitions to non-contact training drills.

Here’s what that means:

“The player continues cardiovascular, strength, and balance training, team sport-specific exercises, and participates in non-contact football activities (e.g., throwing, catching, running, and other position-specific activities). Neurocognitive and balance testing must be completed no later than the end of phase four, with results interpreted as a return to baseline values.

If Maye enters Phase 4 on Thursday and still shows no signs of a concussion, he will advance to the final phase on Friday.

Phase 5 is full football activity and independent medical clearance. The rule reads:

“After clearance from the club doctor for full football activity involving contact, the player must be examined by the Independent Neurological Consultant (INC) assigned to his club. If the INC agrees with the club doctor that the player’s concussion has been resolved, the player may participate in their club’s next training or match.

If Maye entered Phase 3 on Wednesday, he would have to go through Phase 4 and Phase 5 over the next three days before Sunday’s game.

If he does, the Patriots will likely have their rookie quarterback in Tennessee. If he experiences a setback, Jacoby Brissett will start against the Titans.