How Patriots QB Drake Maye is already impressing new teammates this spring

Tight end Julian Hill featured for the Miami Dolphins over the past three seasons before he signed with the New England Patriots back in March. Thus, Hill already somewhat understood what Patriots quarterback Drake Maye can do on gamedays. 

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Hill revealed how he received help from Maye during their first interaction together at the start of the Patriots' offseason program. 

Drake Maye has silenced questions about his leadership

"What a quarterback," Hill said about Maye, per Mark Daniels of MassLive. "I’m not just saying that to say because I’m a Patriot. What a quarterback. Guy’s young, vocal. Guy’s a leader. He took me in the first couple days (here), and we went to the offensive room, going over fronts, you know what I mean? Hell of a quarterback, man."

It's somewhat remarkable to think that stories surfaced last offseason hinting that Maye hadn't fully embraced being a leader as a second-year pro. He has since emerged as a regular-season Most Valuable Player Award finalist, and he has left no doubt that he is the CEO of the Patriots' offense. 

"He’s a competitor," Hill added about Maye. "Saw that on the field. "I’m just honored to get a chance to play with him and get a chance to earn his trust and be able to protect him, be able to know that he can lean on me at crunch time, you know what I mean? I’m excited to play with him." 

Mike Brown remembers THAT Drake Maye play versus Titans

Current Patriots safety Mike Brown was playing for the Tennessee Titans in the fall of 2024 when Maye, then a rookie, used his legs to keep a play alive for 11.82 seconds before he delivered a game-tying touchdown pass with no time left in regulation. 

"My teammates in Tennessee, we talked about that play all the time, how long we ran around," Brown admitted on Thursday. "And I ended up just blitzing out of the deep half because my guy got pushed out of bounds and [running back Rhamondre Stevenson] caught it too. That was a crazy play."

Brown will now only have to worry about defending against such Maye plays during practices.