Patriots Set For Return To Greatness With Drake Maye Emerging As

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 2:44 AM

patriots set for return to greatness with drake maye emerging as

There will be life after Tom Brady in New England. The signs are flashing that Mike Vrabel has the right young franchise quarterback in Drake Maye to be the crown jewel of a team that will soon be a clear and present danger once... Maye beating Josh Allen and the Bills at Highmark Stadium last Sunday night was the first shot across the bow from a second-year quarterback who is giving Patriots fans the kind of hope that... “It may not be top two or three when you’re talking about Josh and Lamar [Jackson],” NFL Network guru and former Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner told Serby Says, “but [he] definitely has every... That’s maybe another place where I’ve been really pleasantly surprised is I thought he had a number of like technical issues coming out of North Carolina after that last year, and I think he’s... His feet have been good, he’s been balanced.

I think his stroke has been nice and consistent.” The Patriots are rolling. With a 5–2 record and four straight wins, including three on the road, they've found an emerging identity behind the electric play of second-year quarterback Drake Maye, who's been on an MVP-level heater in... Sunday's win over the Titans was the latest showcase, with Maye completing 21 of 23 passes and orchestrating a balanced attack that finally saw the run game open up lanes while Maye spread the... "Drake's playing at a high level," said wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who led the team with seven catches for 69 yards. "He's being a quarterback.

It's easy to say that, but he's finding the open man. Guys are making plays for him. Tight ends are playing well, running backs catching the ball, receivers… everybody's just doing their job." Maye's performance was historic. He set a franchise record for single-game completion percentage and became the first Patriots quarterback to post three games in a season with at least 80 percent completions. But he downplayed the achievement.

"I left some out there," Maye said. "I tucked it a couple times when I shouldn't have. I'm trying to be careful with the football and challenge down the field, not just be check-down Charlie." Since being selected third overall by the New England Patriots in the 2024 NFL Draft, quarterback Drake Maye has been all but officially anointed as the “face” of the franchise. The former North Carolina Tar Heel has not only been touted for his exceptional athleticism and mental resilience, he is also being recognized for his natural leadership ability. In fact, Maye’s skills in providing direction to his teammates was recently put to the test by head coach Mike Vrabel.

Maye, per Patriots insider Mike Reiss, was recently charged with the duty of leading an OTAs which tested all players' physical and mental toughness — including the second-year quarterback, himself. “At the end of the most recent practice open to reporters, Vrabel lined up the entire offense along the goal line, with Maye in the middle, and implored Maye to decisively call out the... “Many players were gassed by the end, which is as close to the maximum physical exertion that can happen in a voluntary spring practice. “As the drill progressed, which included changeups of Vrabel telling Maye to call out of a "dummy" snap count to see if any players might jump early, Maye had to make sure his voice... After struggling mightily in the deep passing game over the last few seasons, the Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye rank third in the NFL in explosive pass percentage in 2025. Kenneth Richmond / Getty Images

FOXBORO, Mass. — During those backyard games that still stick out vividly for Drake Maye, he was rarely the quarterback. One drawback to being the youngest of four boys is that the older brothers got to pick the fun positions. So Maye was usually a wide receiver. “They wouldn’t let me play quarterback,” Maye said with a smile. So Maye didn’t get the rush of hitting a deep pass until later on.

As the spotlight on Maye grew and the recruiting stars came, attendance swelled at Myers Park High in Charlotte, N.C., when Maye played. And even as Maye has developed into a terrific NFL quarterback in his second season with the New England Patriots, he still thinks back to that feeling he first experienced on high school fields,... The way a stadium falls quiet for just a split second when the quarterback heaves the ball deep downfield. The nervous energy of waiting to see if it’ll be caught. The New England Patriots left Miami with an unusual win at Hard Rock Stadium in a hard-fought slugfest with the Dolphins. It gave Head Coach Mike Vrabel his first win with the team and showcased the talents of the team's second-year quarterback, Drake Maye.

After a less-than-optimal Week 1 loss to the Raiders at Gillette Stadium, the team went into Miami seeking a seldom-seen win. Miami has never been an easy place for the Patriots to play, but Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had never been beaten at all by a Patriots team in his previous five years in the... That streak ended as the 2025 Patriots showed solid signs of coalescing into a possible contender. Big plays were made by Antonio Gibson, Marte Mapu, Harold Landry III, and top free agent signee Milton Williams, among others. Yet, the star of the show was undoubtedly Maye. Quarterback Drake Maye had had a decent game in the Week 1 loss to the Raiders.

Yet, he and Patriots Nation knew he had to do a lot better if the team was to avoid another loss to the Dolphins in Miami and an 0-2 record beginning to the Vrabel-era... Thankfully, Maye rose to the occasion with the finest game of his career. The Patriots' second-year quarterback recorded the second-highest Week 2 quarterback rating in the league at 137.3, further adding to the impressive start of his 2025 season. Drake Maye finds himself in the lane between an NFL rookie and an NFL veteran. He is currently neither. But at age 22, he is in the driver’s seat with functioning turn signals.

The New England Patriots will go where the quarterback goes in 2025. His development as a leader will play a part in just how far that is. “Well, I think we’re always trying to evolve in what we do, whether that’s leadership, whether that’s learning the other side of the football, whether that’s learning each other,” Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel... “Again, Drake, I think it’s a unique position being 22 – it’s kind of unique in that sense. So, I think that there is a lot of room to grow. I think there’s a lot of natural leadership qualities.

I think I have to encourage him, continue to encourage him and to put him in those positions to do that so that the players understand that there’s a different version of all of... Maye, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, stands a dozen starts into his career. He won’t turn 23 until after the preseason schedule reaches the rearview in August. “I think it’s an opportunity for me to take a jump from last year being a rookie, trying to come in here and kind of earn my stripe, earn my keep through hard work,”... “And I think this year it’s the same approach.

You got new guys in here, new staff. Got to keep getting to know everybody, got to show my work ethic and then kind of from there. As the season comes around, try to take the next step in leadership, leading the offense and hopefully leading this football team.” New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is impressing during offseason workouts as he gets immersed in Josh McDaniels' system. By all accounts, the second-year quarterback has flashed in recent sessions, including Monday's mandatory minicamp practice. "I'm starting to really find a stride," Maye said, via the team's official website.

"It's all the same concepts in the league, but it's different words, different verbiage. It's mostly the same guys running [routes], but just feeling out how they run it and timing when you get into different concepts. It's been good." There were some early-offseason hiccups, but Maye has been getting a grasp of McDaniels' scheme, which should fit the QB well. "Coach does a great job of getting guys in matchups and letting them win. I'm looking forward to doing that," Maye said.

"I have to do my part of getting guys lined up, playing the right side [of the field], and just doing my part of taking what's open."

Patriots Set For Return To Greatness With Drake Maye Emerging As

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