Drake Maye already looked like the kind of quarterback a franchise can build around. That’s what makes the next step so intriguing for the New England Patriots.
In his second NFL season, the UNC product put together a monster year: 4,394 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, eight interceptions and a league-best 72% completion rate. He finished second in MVP voting behind Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and emerged as one of the league’s brightest young passers.
The tricky part now is that the surprise factor is gone. Maye is on the radar, which means defenses will have a much easier time preparing for him than they did a year ago.
New England also faces a tougher schedule next season. Even so, the setup around him is far better than it has been in a long time, and that’s where the real danger comes in for the rest of the league.
For the first time in a while, the Patriots have something that actually looks like a real offense. That matters, especially after the Mac Jones-Bailey Zappe "Era" went so badly and left New England stuck with the consequences of shaky roster building and personnel decisions. Matt Patricia is still being memed in New England because of his season as an offensive coordinator, and the whole stretch was a reminder of how little help those quarterbacks had.
Now the Patriots have spent the last two offseasons giving Maye support. The offensive line has been reinforced with Will Campbell, Jared Wilson, Morgan Moses, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Caleb Lomu.
The skill group has also gotten a boost with Stefon Diggs, A.J. Brown, and TreVeyon Henderson joining the mix.
That’s before even getting to the players already in place. Kayshon Boutte, DeMario Douglas, and Rhamondre Stevenson all have room to grow, and Hunter Henry has quietly become one of the best tight ends in franchise history.
The message from New England is obvious: Maye is the guy. And after the way he kept improving week by week last season, it’s easy to see why. He’s not perfect - he’s still turnover-prone, doesn’t always make quick decisions, holds the ball too long, and can get flustered - but the talent is real.
If that second season was the launch point, the league may not have seen the best version of Drake Maye yet.
In Other News...
Patriots May Have No Choice But To Make This Tight End Trade
The Patriots went into the offseason knowing tight end was a position they had to address, and the plan briefly looked manageable after they added Eli Raridon for depth. Julian Hills injury changed the equation, though, and it left New England in the market for a young veteran who could help sooner rather than later as the roster takes shape after the Super Bowl loss.
One possible path is a trade, especially if a tight end sitting behind a star on another depth chart becomes available. The Raiders have reasons to listen, and New England has the kind of draft capital and young receiver talent that could help grease a deal, but the real question is whether the Patriots are willing to pay enough to get the kind of player they need at a spot that suddenly feels a lot more urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Will Campbell Just Answered A Huge Patriots Fear
Will Campbell spent the offseason around some of the leagues better offensive linemen, working with Lane Johnson, Dion Dawkins and Tyler Guyton as he tries to sharpen the parts of his game that were exposed during a rocky rookie year. For a Patriots team that used the No. 4 overall pick on him, the focus has been on helping Campbell settle in, clean up the rough edges and look more like the player they believed they were getting when they made him their left tackle of the future.
The bigger backdrop is what happened in Super Bowl LX, where Campbells performance only added to the scrutiny that had started building late in the season. There had been plenty of noise about whether his best long-term fit might be somewhere else on the line, but New England has made clear it views him as a tackle and expects him to keep working on the blindside job the Patriots drafted him to handle. [Read more 🡒]
CBS Just Gave Drake Maye Another Patriots Fans Wont Forget
CBS Sports latest quarterback rankings gave Drake Maye a respectable but still eye-catching spot in the middle of the pack, placing the Patriots young passer 16th among NFL starters and in the outlets Borderline Stars tier. For a player who led the league in completion percentage and passer rating while helping push New England to the Super Bowl, it is a reminder that the national conversation has not quite caught up to the production.
The comparison at the top of the list only sharpens the debate, with Matthew Stafford landing above Maye despite the Patriots quarterbacks standout season. CBS pointed to the difference in surrounding conditions, noting Maye took more sacks and worked with a less effective receiving corps than Stafford did, and that context will matter again as New England keeps trying to build a more complete offense around him. [Read more 🡒]