The New England Patriots didn’t just find their quarterback of the future in Drake Maye - they may have landed the cornerstone of their next championship era. And according to recent reports, they had to fend off a serious push from an NFC team to make it happen.
Before Maye ever threw a pass in Foxborough, the Minnesota Vikings reportedly made a hard run at trying to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft to take him. The Patriots held the No. 3 overall pick - and they weren’t budging.
Minnesota, desperate for a long-term answer at quarterback, put a significant offer on the table: both of their first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23), their 2025 first-rounder, and a late-round pick swap favoring New England. The connection was strong - Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was reportedly high on Maye, and the quarterback had ties to the staff. He played high school ball under Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was teammates with McCown’s son.
But the Patriots were locked in. They saw Maye as their guy and weren’t willing to entertain even a haul of picks to move off that spot. That conviction is already paying off in a big way.
Maye didn’t just meet expectations in his rookie season - he blew past them. After starting the year behind veteran Jacoby Brissett, Maye took over and led the Patriots to a 14-3 record and their first AFC East title since 2019. From there, he kept the momentum rolling in the playoffs, pushing New England all the way to the AFC Championship and ultimately their first Super Bowl appearance in seven years.
The Patriots were patient with Maye’s development, and that patience was rewarded. Once they saw what they had in him, they went all in.
Last offseason, New England doubled down on building around their young star. They added Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins to give him reliable weapons on the outside, drafted TreVeyon Henderson to bring explosiveness to the backfield, and fortified the offensive line with Morgan Moses and Will Campbell.
And let’s not overlook the coaching. With Mike Vrabel bringing toughness and leadership as head coach, and Josh McDaniels back in the fold to guide the offense, Maye had a support system built for success.
As for the Vikings, they pivoted quickly after missing out on Maye. They moved up one spot in the draft to take Michigan’s JJ McCarthy at No.
- But even that plan nearly changed - reports later surfaced that Minnesota almost traded McCarthy to the Raiders before the season.
It’s easy to play the “what if” game here. Would Maye have developed the same way in Minnesota?
Maybe. But there’s no guarantee.
Quarterback success is as much about fit and infrastructure as it is about raw talent. In New England, Maye found both - a franchise ready to build around him and a coaching staff prepared to bring him along the right way.
The Patriots didn’t just draft a quarterback. They made a franchise-altering decision - and so far, it looks like they nailed it.