Drake Maye draws comparison to notable former AFC quarterback

Drake Maye was recently compared to former Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers by The Athletic's Chase Daniel, who added that other offensive coordinators in the league shared a similar perspective on his Scoop City podcast.

“I really came across this when I broke him down two years ago going into the draft,” said Daniel, who played quarterback in the NFL for 13 seasons, “and multiple offensive coordinators in the NFL have told me this, when they were meeting with him, he reminds them of Philip Rivers. Good old country boy, big, strong, athletic, more athletic in the pocket than Phillip, but has that demeanor of nothing's too big. 'Alright, man, it's just another game.'”

Maye and Rivers each started their careers in the ACC at North Carolina and NC State, respectively. However, their collegiate careers experienced vastly different trajectories. Rivers was NC State’s starter for four seasons, leading the Wolfpack to bowl games during each campaign. He earned ACC Player of the Year in 2003. Maye did not win UNC’s starting quarterback job until his third season at Chapel Hill, where he started for two seasons while leading UNC to back-to-back bowl games. Maye even competed in the ACC championship game — the contest didn’t take place until 2005, but Rivers never won the conference — in 2022, the same season he was named the ACC Player of the Year.

Through the first two seasons of Maye’s young NFL career, he has shown off his athletic ability to extend plays with his legs. It’s an aspect that he has over Rivers, who rushed for 601 yards — only 70 yards more than Maye — during his 17-year career. Maye’s four rushing touchdowns are one more than Rivers' career total.

Perhaps what is most impressive about a Rivers-Maye comparison is how young Maye is at the outset of his young career compared with when Rivers became a full-time NFL starter. Maye was thrust into the spotlight as a rookie, while Rivers did not earn his spot until his third season, spending his first two years backing up Drew Brees. Additionally, Maye was the No. 1 quarterback at his college for only two of his three seasons, half the starting time as Rivers.

National attention has shifted to Maye for the first time since he was the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft after his impressive win at Buffalo on Sunday Night Football. Maye and the Patriots will navigate their new limelight at 1 p.m. on Sunday in New Orleans against the Saints.