Drake Maye’s latest comfort blanket in New England may be Mack Hollins.
That wasn’t exactly the headline when the Patriots entered the 2026 season with a receiver room that finally looked worth talking about. But with A.J. Brown now dealing with an ankle sprain, Hollins has quickly become the steady hand Maye can lean on while the offense tries to keep moving.
Brown’s injury changed the picture fast. What had been shaping up as a loaded group now has to prove it can hold up without the star the Patriots spent the summer chasing. That leaves Hollins in a far bigger role than the one he had on paper when the season began, and he was ready for it right away once Brown went down.
The part that makes Hollins’ rise stand out is how close he came to not being here at all.
Speaking to the Boston Herald this past week, he said the Patriots pushed him into a reworked contract this offseason, or else he would have been cut.
“Nobody wants to change anything, but that’s sometimes what happens. (It) makes you want to come out and work, but not any harder than I already work. Yeah, I mean, that’s an unfortunate side of the business, but I’m happy to be here.
That’s kind of how it works. That’s the risk that you run.
It’s like, ‘Hey, you could take this offer, or we could potentially cut you.’ They’re not saying, like - that’s the business.
So, it could go either way. Like, I’m happy to be here.
My goal is to go hit all those incentives. It doesn’t matter whatever you put them at.
I’m gonna go try to hit them, and it’ll be water under the bridge.”
That contract tweak matters because the Patriots also made his incentives harder to reach. Hollins had been set to earn $300,000 for 30 receptions, $300,000 for 40, and $400,000 for 50. The new structure moves those numbers to $300,000 for 47 catches, $300,000 for 50, and $400,000 for 55.
That’s a tough ask for a receiver who posted 46 catches for 550 yards and two touchdowns last season and has averaged 355 yards a year in his career. It’s a business move, plain and simple, and Hollins knows it.
Even so, he’s embraced the chance in front of him. He has enjoyed his time in New England and says he’s ready to keep pushing, which is exactly the kind of attitude the Patriots need with Brown sidelined for potentially six games.
Hollins also made it clear the group around him isn’t backing away from the moment.
“They’re going to play 11 guys out there on offense, no matter who’s up, who’s down. Obviously, A.J. is a great player, and we would love to have him, but he’s not there, so there’s nothing you can do but dress 11 and get ready to work.
We’re all ballplayers. It’s not like we can’t do anything without A.J. Like I said, we’d love to have A.J. out there, but ships keep sailing.”
That confidence matters for Maye. The Patriots added Brown in June after early buzz tied Mike Vrabel to his former Titans draft pick, and once the move was official, the offense suddenly looked like one of the most talented groups in the league. Maye was supposed to have a much easier path in Year 3.
Then Brown got hurt against the Seahawks, and the whole thing changed.
Now the pressure shifts to the rest of the receivers, with Hollins already starting last week and projected to be the top option moving forward. The Patriots are also hoping for more from Romeo Doubs. For Maye, the good news is that the room around him appears ready to shoulder more of the load.
And for all the contract tension and incentive math, Hollins is the guy who may end up mattering most when the offense needs a reliable answer.
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