Sep 21, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs (8) before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Patriots Need Deep Threat for Drake Maye

Originally posted on New England Patriots on SI
By Tyler Geis | Last updated Sep 25, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The New England Patriots are now 1-2. For the record, that isn't as bad as it sounds. The season is still young, and they're in luck with both the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets off to a 0-3 start, thus putting them behind the 3-0 Buffalo Bills in the AFC East.

However, there are still some issues that need to be ironed out, and they won't just go away between games every week.

It's a big season for quarterback Drake Maye after a year of looking good through the mess of the 2024 campaign. The thing is, there will eventually be a lot of arguments made for Maye that go both ways. Is he the future? Or is this just another scenario that looks similar to the last QB to wear number 10 on his jersey?

The Patriots proved they could compete in Week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it was their doldrums that would get the best of them and cost them the game in the 21-14 loss. Maye went 28 for 37 for 268 yards. Not too shabby, but his stats today need closer examination.

Maye, who has proven even in his dismal rookie season that he can sling it. However, Next Gen Stats revealed that today he had only one pass to go above 20 yards. It proves an underlying point that we've seen in the first three weeks of the season: that yes, he may be the answer long-term, but the Patriots potentially need something more to elevate him.

Drake Maye is great.

But we need a WR to stretch the field. pic.twitter.com/c8qNT0r8bO
— Pats-Planet.com (@patsplanetmedia) September 22, 2025

Patriots fans looked at the Stefon Diggs signing and said great things, but reality may have started to set in that Diggs could very much be the leader of this young core of players due to his veteran status in the league and not the stats he had with both the Vikings and Bills.

It's clear the Patriots need to find a deep threat for Maye, who has just the right amount of mileage under him — a wide receiver who's maybe four to five years in.

It's still too early to decipher who's unhappy on a certain team in the league. Still, as the trade deadline is a little over a month out, it could be smart for the Patriots to see if they could make a deal to help give Maye that aid down the field to help extend what he can already accomplish.

There aren't many NFL analysts or fans, for that matter, thinking that the Patriots are headed to the postseason in 2025, but some hope that they can actually compete for it. One would think Robert Kraft would open his checkbook come mid-season to see that stay a reality this season.

This article first appeared on New England Patriots on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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