Patriots owner Robert Kraft names 'greatest quality of' QB Drake Maye

Second-year New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye became a revelation while working with head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels from last spring through the ongoing season. 

During the latest edition of "The Quick Snap Podcast," Patriots owner Robert Kraft discussed how Maye has impressed individuals within the organization for reasons that go beyond what the 23-year-old has thus far accomplished on game days.

Drake Maye has put the team first as Patriots leader

"The greatest quality of him, in at least my feelings, is his humility," Kraft said about Maye, per Lauren Campbell of MassLive. "And I think that comes from his parents and the family he’s got. Three older brothers are good, so usually the baby in the family’s a little spoiled, but he has a humility that’s genuine. And so it’s like putting family first. It’s putting the team first." 

Throughout the first eight months of 2025, Vrabel encouraged Maye to fully embrace being a full-time leader within the Patriots locker room. Maye has since repeatedly shown a different level of maturity, such as when he acknowledged after New England's 16-3 wild-card home victory over the Los Angeles Chargers this past Sunday night that he needs "to be better" in future playoff games. 

Before Maye emerged as a Most Valuable Player Award candidate this season, he endured a rough rookie campaign that the Patriots finished with a record of 4-13. Kraft seems to think those experiences helped Maye grow into the team CEO he quickly became. 

Drake Maye had "genuine" leadership qualities even as a rookie

"In his rookie year, we had so many tough games," Kraft added about Maye. "But after every game, he would go around the locker room to the linemen and try to boost them up, and it was genuine. So we’re really lucky, I think, because some of these young men in that position, especially these social media people, get so caught up with that, they forget what the basic fundamentals of how you build family, how you build a business, how you build relationships. ...You can see that with this team. There’s no doubt about that."

Following their win over the Chargers, the Patriots will next host the Houston Texans for a divisional-round showdown this coming Sunday. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had New England as a three-point favorite for that game.