How Drake Maye is embracing the toughest part of being the Patriots quarterback
When people hear ‘New England Patriots’ and ‘quarterback,’ the first thing that will always come to mind is Tom Brady. That’s obviously well deserved, as Brady spent two decades with the franchise winning six Super Bowls on his way to becoming the greatest player in the history of the sport.
For those following Brady though, that came come with some pressure. The expectations for “the next guy” will always be there, especially since the franchise has been through a quarterback carousel since Brady’s departure following the 2019 season.
—Drake Maye is exactly the kind of quarterback the Patriots needed to gamble on
—Drafting Drake Maye isn’t the end of a process for the Patriots, it’s the beginning
—Full Patriots coverage
The latest player to face that challenge is Drake Maye, who the Patriots drafted third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday night. That pick puts Maye in line to be the next starting quarterback and face of the Patriots’ franchise. After getting drafted on Thursday night, Maye was asked about ‘following in Brady’s footsteps.’
“Tom Brady’s the GOAT. It’s easy to say that. He’s the best that ever played this game,” Maye replied during his draft night press conference. “I’m not going to be Tom Brady. So, I’m just going to try to be Drake Maye, and from there, I’m just trying to learn from him, hopefully get to know him a little bit. Other than that, just try to soak it up, be a sponge and try to learn all I can from him. He’s the man of that town.”
While many will likely try to measure Maye up against Brady in the coming weeks, months, and years, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to do that to himself. Rather, he’s working on building his own legacy.
MORE: Drake Maye scouting report & player profile
That approach shouldn’t be taken as a lack of respect for Brady or his accomplishments though. Maye referenced Brady again during his introduction at Gillette Stadium on Friday. Asked what number he’ll be wearing in New England he said he hoped to stick with No. 10 (later confirmed by Patriots social media), but that he’d be fine “as long as it ain’t 12 and fill those shoes.”
“That’s the GOAT. Any quarterback has got to be a Tom Brady fan,” Maye added, when asked if he rooted for Brady growing up. “It’ll be an honor to get to meet him and pick his brain. One of the greatest to ever do it. It’ll be an awesome moment to get to meet him and be a sponge, soak it all in.”
Maye talked about looking forward to attending Brady’s Patriots Hall of Fame ceremony at Gillette Stadium on June 12. The event will be held inside Gillette Stadium that evening, following the Patriots’ second minicamp practice.
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Drafting Drake Maye isn't the end of a process for the Patriots, it's the beginning
Continue adding to the offense
Eliot Wolf appeared Thursday morning for a pre-NFL draft press conference at Gillette Stadium. (Photo by Bob Socci)
Saying a quarterback ‘needs help around him’ is often seen as a knock in NFL vernacular. In reality though, after investing the third overall pick in a QB the idea should be to give him as much help as possible to maximize his skillset.
“I just think we need to support him in any way we can, on the field, off the field,” de facto general manager Eliot Wolf told reporters on Thursday night when asked what the team will do to do ‘what’s best for’ Maye. “We need to add some weapons to the offense. We need to shore up the offensive line.”
After drafting Jones in 2021 the Patriots used just three ‘premium’ assets to add to the offense. Those assets were all top-100 draft picks – they took guard Cole Strange 29th overall and wide receiver Tyquan Thornton 50th overall in 2022, and that same offseason traded the 77th overall pick to the Miami Dolphins for DeVante Parker.
Besides Parker, their only major veteran addition at wide receiver was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who they made the 40th highest-paid receiver in 2023. At tackle their biggest external additions were Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson, who were signed last spring and played in a combined six games. Compare that to some of the other quarterbacks in Jones’ class, who saw their teams make major investments at wide receiver and/or tackle in years two and three. That yielded mixed results, but the attempt was there.
Additionally, Maye won’t have the strong preceding free agency class that Jones did after the Patriots’ spending spree in 2021. That group included Kendrick Bourne, Hunter Henry, and Trent Brown (via trade).
This time around, the Patriots need a more aggressive, and more consistent approach in putting pieces around Maye. Yes you could argue Jones got the benefit of the 2021 class, but there were no major investments after that. This should be an ongoing, multi-year effort.
Keep a sustainable offensive coaching staff
Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt during training camp on Saturday, July 30, 2022 in Berea. (Phil Masturzo/USA Today Network)
After the Patriots reached the playoffs with Jones as a rookie in 2021, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was hired away as a head coach by the Las Vegas Raiders. McDaniels, who was coming off of a previous failed head coaching stint and backed out after agreeing to take the Colts job, initially wasn’t viewed as a likely coaching candidate. But, that’s the power of a a team being successful with a rookie quarterback. Other teams will want whatever part they can get of the group that made that happen.
The same goes for the Patriots now. If Maye plays well initially, Alex Van Pelt will likely become a head coaching candidate. If and when that happened, the Patriots need to be prepared with a contingency plan.
With McDaniels, that wasn’t the case. He brought most of the offensive staff with him to Las Vegas, and there was no clear in-house successor on the offensive side of the ball to take over as coordinator, with the job going instead to longtime defensive coach Matt Patricia.
This time around, the Patriots may already be setting themselves up for a situation where Van Pelt leaves after initial success. T.C. McCartney was hired as the quarterbacks coach, but his resume to this point reads more like that of an offensive coordinator than that of an outright QB coach. While he has coached quarterbacks before, he also has experience working with tight ends, and as a general offensive assistant. Given his background, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team – specifically Van Pelt – put some time into grooming him as the next OC.
If that’s the case, the Patriots would have a clear succession plan in place if Van Pelt develops Maye properly and then gets hired elsewhere. Keeping that continuity for a young quarterback would be important, especially if Maye impresses early.
Have a plan, and stick to it
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – NOVEMBER 05: Linebackers coach Jerod Mayo looks on during the game against the Washington Commanders at Gillette Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
The biggest initial question regarding Maye is whether or not he’ll start right away, or at all in his rookie year. On Thursday night, both Wolf and head coach Jerod Mayo were non-committal in that regard.
“I think to go back to Bill [Belichick], I don’t think many rookies are ready to just jump in and play. At the end of the day, our philosophy is the best players will play,” Mayo said. “I would say we’re going to compete all spring, we’re going to compete during training camp, and the best player will start.”
Ultimately, the Patriots development plan for Maye will develop over the coming weeks, into the early days of training camp. Whatever that plan is though, they should be determined to stick to it. Once Maye is in as the starter, he’s in. For a number of reasons, benching him as a rookie would represent a major step backwards for both him and the organization. We saw over the past two years how an unclear quarterback depth chart can create issues.
If they think he’s ready to start right away? Great. If they think he needs more time? That may be O.K. too – they’re not expected to contend immediately. They just need to be sure that when they do make the move, it’s the right time for everybody.
