Mike Vrabel Makes True Feelings Known About Drake Maye

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nate Lunak | Last updated Jan 24, 2025 4:50 PM ET

With the New England Patriots hiring Mike Vrabel as head coach, there's hope he can return the franchise to prominence following three straight losing seasons.

Realistically, it's not as if the Patriots will have the greatest roster going into the 2025 season, but it does have solid young talent. That starts with quarterback Drake Maye, who will be entering his second year.

When New England took Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was with the idea that he'd become a franchise player, and Vrabel made it clear that he shares that optimism.

"He's exciting, talented, ready to learn and ready to continue to develop," Vrabel said via CBS. "He's athletic and mobile, has the ability to make throws to all part of the field with arm talent. But every year is a new process. There will be some new terminology and some carryover from what he's had. I know that he's ready to learn and is excited. We welcome that and want him to lead our football team."

This will be Maye's third head coach in as many years after being under Mack Brown at North Carolina, Jerod Mayo last season in New England and now Vrabel.

He certainly showed some flashes of brilliance in his rookie season but was very inconsistent. Maye appeared in 13 games and completed 225-of-338 passes for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and an 88.1 passer rating. He also rushed for 421 yards and two touchdowns.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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