Mike Vrabel Throws Cold Water On Drake Maye Talk That Won T Go Away

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 10:31 AM

mike vrabel throws cold water on drake maye talk that won t go away

Going into the 2024 NFL Draft, experts had numerous pro comparisons for Drake Maye that would certainly make him a person of interest for the Patriots as a prospective future starter of the offense... One of the most notable was Josh Allen, who has taken the league by storm over the last five years. As one of the more mobile players at the position in the league, the Bills have consistently benefited from Allen's size and speed, which has resulted in him recording 790 carries for 4,301 yards... That's not the kind of quarterback the Patriots have historically had on their roster, outside of the lone season with Cam Newton under center. The fact that they drafted a player who some believe is comparable to Allen is an intriguing development, and his second-year jump has only further solidified those who think Maye could be an Allen-like... While it is exciting for fans to think they might have a future multi-time Pro Bowler on the roster, Mike Vrabel isn't at all interested in jumping to any conclusions at this point, which...

During his weekly appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show," Vrabel was asked about the comparisons between Maye's game and Allen's, to which he expressed his disinterest in making comparisons of any player to... New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has with no doubt, won new head coach Mike Vrabel’s confidence, but for Vrabel, it long preceded the 9-2 start. “I came here because of the familiarity. I came here because of Drake,” Vrabel told the Amazon postgame show crew via NBC Sports Boston. “I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach.

And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players. That’s what Drake is for us.” Maye carved up the New York Jets defense in a 27-14 win on Thursday, the team’s eighth-straight. It led to chants of MVP from the crowd, a fan base that once saw Patriots legend Tom Brady dominate the league for two decades and win three regular season MVPs. Maye was part of that postgame conversation with Amazon, and he expressed his appreciation of Vrabel, who came in and re-tooled the Patriots after back-to-back 4-13 seasons.

Vrabel once played for the Patriots during the Brady era, and Vrabel went on to coach the Tennessee Titans before his current position. “It means the world. It goes both ways,” Maye said. “I can’t thank coach enough for what he’s done, what he’s gonna do for my career, for my life. He brings it every day. He said this, and he’ll text me later tonight about something I could have done better in the game.

He’s constant, he’s awesome, and we love playing for him. I love playing for him.” Mike Vrabel spent the 2024 season serving as a consultant with the Cleveland Browns before he became the top candidate of last winter's head-coach hiring cycle. While numerous stories at the time linked Vrabel with the Las Vegas Raiders, it's now known that he always intended to become the New England Patriots' next head coach following the rookie season of... Under Vrabel and Maye, the Patriots improved to 9-2 on the season via a 27-14 win over the New York Jets on Thursday night. After that victory, Vrabel opened up about the events that led him back to New England during the offseason.

"I came here because of the familiarity," Vrabel explained, per Chris Mason of MassLive. "I came here because of Drake. I knew what he would be, and it was important for me to come here. And that’s someone I wanted to coach. And so building a program is about that. It’s about putting great people around your really good players.

That’s what Drake is for us." Vrabel and quarterback Tom Brady earned three Super Bowl rings as teammates with the Patriots from 2001-08. While Vrabel was inducted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame in the fall of 2023, that was before Brady was officially approved as a minority owner of the Raiders. FOXBOROUGH — Drake Maye put on quite the show during the New England Patriots' 23-20 win over the Buffalo Bills in primetime. But there was one play in particular that had everyone talking. On the Patriots' final drive of the game, Maye made an incredible play.

As he was being pulled down by a Bills defender, Maye saw Stefon Diggs in the distance and threw the ball to the receiver as he was falling over. Diggs made the catch and ultimately turned what could have been a sack into a first down. Even Mike Vrabel couldn't believe what he was seeing in that moment. "'Oh my gosh, oh my gosh.' It was an 8-yard loss to a 12-yard gain," Vrabel told reporters on Monday morning. "He's continuing to grow and gain confidence, and show us, show everybody, show his team and himself the ability to operate in the pocket, ability to operate in scheduled, move the pocket plays and... So, putting the ball in good locations, not throwing behind guys, going on the move and putting the ball in harm's way."

Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. Mike Vrabel is already having to walk back comments just days away from the New England Patriots' second preseason game of the exhibition season. Following New England's dominant win over the Washington Commanders in their preseason opener, the Patriots' head coach was fixated on a turnover committed by starting QB Drake Maye on the team's first possession of... Rather than getting rid of the ball and moving on, Maye attempted to make something happen and wound up fumbling the football. Washington recovered that fumble, and Vrabel was not happy about it. “That’s a bad decision,” Vrabel said, per Karen Guregian of MassLive.

“I think we’re going to need better from him. I think he knows that. That’s obvious. It wasn’t there. We just have to find a way to get rid of the football or take a sack and punt and play defense.” On Wednesday, Vrabel spoke again about Maye's decision-making and leadership qualities, but this time he went with a different tone, via Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald.

Mike Vrabel says Drake Maye isn’t lacking in leadership, he always just wants more from every player.Vrabel: “There’s no finished products, no matter what.” NFL training camp is officially underway, which means the return of mic’d-up moments from coaches and players. New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel might have already delivered the best soundbite of the summer. He roasted second-year quarterback Drake Maye with a jab about the team’s offensive struggles last season. Vrabel has never been the most buttoned-up coach in the NFL. After playing 14 seasons as a linebacker in the league, he brings a similar unfiltered energy to his role on the sidelines.

That personality was clear in a recent mic’d up video from Patriots training camp. The four-minute clip features several moments from practice, but one exchange in particular has gone viral. While coaching rookie quarterback Maye on being more aggressive in the red zone, Vrabel takes a shot at the team’s offense from last season. “How many touchdowns did you guys score last year?” Vrabel asked. “The answer is not enough.” While it might seem like an unnecessary shot, that’s the kind of coach Vrabel is.

He may not be the top offensive or defensive mind in the league, but one thing he does better than most is build a culture. New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel discussed his communication with Drake Maye after the second-year quarterback turned the ball over on the first drive of the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders. Maye was chased down by a defender, and instead of taking a sack, he attempted to make a play and fumbled the ball. New England's goal has been cutting down on the turnovers this season, and plays like the one Maye had last Friday hurt their chances of doing so. "It's clear how I communicate. I tell him what I'm thinking and what needs to be said ...

Sometimes, we can't try to make plays because they become bad ones," said Vrabel, when appearing on The Greg Hill Show. "I think he'll learn from it and understand, like, 'Okay, I'm not going to be able to play Superman all of the time, and I can reserve the right to punt and help this... Maye went 3-of-5 passing for 12 yards on two drives against the Commanders. He also strung together two carries for 16 yards and a touchdown. There were always going to be growing pains for a young quarterback in only his second season. Maye is also learning a new offense with new personnel around him.

He’s expected to be a franchise quarterback, but that won’t happen for Drake Maye unless New England Patriots starter Drake Maye heeds the warning from head coach Mike Vrabel. The latter wants the second-year passer to make one subtle but important change to how he approaches the game. Vrabel made the need for change clear when speaking to reporters after Maye and the Pats stumbled to a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. As Vrabel explained, Maye must understand “we can’t win it all on one play,” per 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Alex Barth. This was the key soundbite from Vrabel’s assessment of Maye against the Steelers, a performance with “a lot of good in there, but just some decision-making that we need to be better. Says there needs to be an understanding that “we can’t win it all on one play.”

Studying the tape of what happened against the Steelers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, September 21 can help Maye learn the lesson. The third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft lost a fumble and threw a critical end-zone interception just before halftime, exposing the core flaw in Maye’s game.

Mike Vrabel Throws Cold Water On Drake Maye Talk That Won T Go Away

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