Patriots Fans Must Be Patient With Drake Maye

While it’s clear that Maye is the guy in New England, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to light the league on fire. For quarterbacks, it is common to see a “sophomore slump” in their second year. After a Rookie of the Year campaign where he tossed over 4,000 yards and threw 23 touchdowns to only five interceptions, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud had a less-than-stellar 2024 season. Stroud, hailed as a top-five quarterback and an MVP candidate, was called a “mid-range starter” and was considered regressing.

There are dozens of factors surrounding a quarterback that can cause a drop-off in play. For Stroud, he was dealing with one of the worst offensive line situations in the league and was without top weapons Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins for much of the season. Even still, the 23-year-old quarterback showed up in big moments and led his struggling Texans to a Wild Card playoff win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

For Maye and the Patriots, learning from some of the challenges plaguing Stroud in his second year will be important. The moves to protect and support Maye are a start, but some road bumps will be unavoidable. A major one could be the adjustment to a new offense under Josh McDaniels.

In 2024, Maye displayed a special ability to extend plays and create out of structure, which contributed heavily to the excitement surrounding him. The next step for Maye will be commanding the offense and making plays on time within structure. McDaniels’ offense demands a quarterback who can diagnose a defense pre-snap and then move quickly through reads post-snap. This will be a good test for Maye and might very well take some time to perfect.

That said, McDaniels would be failing the Patriots if he doesn’t cater his offense around Maye and his strengths. This would allow him to continue to use his legs and create big plays like he did last season. So far, this doesn’t seem to be a concern, as Maye told Mark Daniels of MassLive that McDaniels has “been great with asking about stuff I like.”

If Drake Maye struggles to start the season, that doesn’t mean it’s time to panic. It doesn’t mean he isn’t who we thought he was. It just means he might need more than one season to become a great NFL quarterback.

The reality is the Patriots were a very bad team in 2024. They have had a great offseason, bringing in Mike Vrabel and attacking positions of need, but these things take time to build, and it will be important to be patient— especially with the quarterback.