Patriots' Drake Maye Could Face Sophomore Slump

There is a whole lot of optimism surrounding the New England Patriots heading into 2025, so much so that some have them pegged as a playoff team.

All of the hope in Foxborough may be a bit ambitious considering that the Patriots went 4-13 each of the last two seasons, but New England did engage in a massive free-agent spending spree to address some prominent issues while also putting together a terrific NFL Draft class.

Is it possible, though, that things go very, very south for the Pats next season? Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon outlines a potential scenario in which that could happen, and not surprisingly, it involves the progression — or potential lack thereof — of Drake Maye.

"It’s all about the young franchise quarterback’s path in New England, so a substantial sophomore slump for Drake Maye — despite significant upgrades to his supporting cast — would be brutal," Gagnon wrote.

Maye threw for 2,276 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 66.6 percent of his passes while also rushing for 421 yards and five scores in 13 games and 12 starts last season. He also fumbled nine times.

A sophomore slump is certainly not out of the realm of possibility. We just saw Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud go through it in 2024, so Maye is definitely not above such a decline.

The Patriots have certainly placed more talent around Maye heading into his second season, adding numerous wide receivers while also addressing their offensive line. Those were New England's two biggest problems areas last year.

However, if Maye himself falters, all of those upgrades may be for naught.

There is a lot of pressure on Maye going into 2025, which is why we should probably all pump the brakes when labeling the Pats a playoff team.