Mike Vrabel didn’t leave much room for interpretation after Drake Maye’s Week 7 showing.
The Patriots coach made it plain after the game that Maye had earned his trust again, a sharp contrast to the noise that followed the quarterback through the opening stretch of the season. After three rough games, Maye had become the target of plenty of second-guessing, with many people wondering whether the early struggles were a sign of something bigger. Since then, though, he has flipped the script.
The turnaround started with a road win over the Bills, and Maye has stayed hot ever since. He’s still had a few mistakes that the Patriots would love to erase, but New England is 4-3 entering Week 8, and it’s not hard to see how much worse that record could look without his surge.
That’s what made Vrabel’s postgame message hit so hard.
Mike Vrabel on Drake Maye:
"He gave us a chance...I'm glad he's ours."
- @CLNSMedia pic.twitter.com/ZpCFAXLFJn
- Patriots on CLNS (@PatriotsCLNS) October 23, 2026
The last line said it all: “I'm glad he's ours.”
Maye was a big reason the game stayed tight, especially with the Patriots defense missing tackles and leaving receivers uncovered. Luther Burden III took advantage with 4 catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, while Colston Loveland finished with 7 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Even with those issues around him, Maye kept the Patriots in it by consistently pushing the ball downfield and showing the kind of deep-ball accuracy that has defined his recent run. That stood in stark contrast to the way his season began, and it’s the sort of trait that can change the temperature around a quarterback fast.
At 24, Maye is already going toe to toe with some of the league’s best, and the Patriots are seeing why the belief in him never really disappeared inside the building. With Vrabel and his teammates clearly behind him, the only real question now is whether he can keep this level of play rolling.
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