FOXBORO - The Patriots don’t need Drake Maye to be Tom Brady. They just need him to keep building with the same offensive coordinator, and that part is already in place.
Josh McDaniels’ return for a third stint in New England has given Maye something every young quarterback craves: continuity. The pairing worked quickly last season, when the Patriots turned a rough 2024 into a 17-win season and a trip to the Super Bowl. Now the challenge is pushing even further in Year 2.
One of the biggest goals this summer has been adding more true speed and tempo to the offense. The Patriots had some of it last season, but it has been a major emphasis throughout camp, and Maye said Wednesday that McDaniels is the ideal coach to teach it.
“I think Coach McDaniels is one of the best to learn it from because he’s the one that was teaching it out there and calling it,” Maye said after Wednesday’s training camp practice on working with tempo. “So, the best thing is knowing what to do before you snap it, not snapping into a bad look or just playing fast for no reason. I think coach is great about making sure we’re in a good play.
“I think that’s one of the things you notice from watching some of the tempo, is making sure we have a good play and stay on track because you don’t want to snap it fast and have it be incomplete or a negative run,” said Maye. “You want to keep the chains moving, keep it going, and keep the defense tired and on their heels. So that’s the biggest thing I noticed, is just keeping the chains moving.”
That approach fits the version of Maye the Patriots got last season. In his sophomore year, he threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns, with plenty of that production coming from a willingness to push the ball downfield and force defenses to react. The idea now is simple enough: if an improved Maye can get the ball back to the line quickly and trigger another play before the defense resets, this offense could reach another level.
That ceiling also depends heavily on who’s catching the passes. Last year, Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte were the main targets in an offense that entered the season with plenty of uncertainty.
This year, New England added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs to sit atop the depth chart, giving Maye a stronger pair of weapons than he had in 2025.
Maye has looked the part early in camp, too. He has been accurate, composed, and more vocal as a leader. He’s also taking on more responsibility at the line, including controlling when protections change, something that wasn’t happening a year ago.
McDaniels has helped speed up that growth by giving Maye answers before the questions even show up.
“I think it’s great to have Coach McDaniels, who knows this offense at the best of the best,” Maye said. “I think one of the coolest things is when I have questions or when I feel like there are problems, he always has a clip to explain why those are the answers or a reasoning behind it.
I think that’s really cool for me, who is inquisitive and loves to ask questions and understand why we do things. To have someone who always has answers, knows what could come up before it comes up - that’s one of the best things for me.
“So, just hearing the same terminology, the same coaching points over and over again, being able to hit them and know them before I come out here on the practice field is great for me. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do in year two.”
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