In the 2025 season, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye took a massive step forward and became the runner-up for the MVP. Now, head coach Mike Vrabel wants to see him take another leap forward in 2026.
That is, seemingly, going to be a tall task. After all, a season ago, Maye completed 72.0% of his passes for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also rushed for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. Still, Vrabel wants to see Maye operate faster and with more urgency.
“More urgent and get everybody functioning just a little bit quicker,” Vrabel said to reporters.
Maye is now in his second season under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. It’s the first time he’s had the same coordinator in back-to-back seasons since 2021 and 2022, when he was still at North Carolina. So, the hope is that with a better understanding of the system, he’ll be able to operate with that efficiency that Vrabel is looking for.
Pressure Was a Major Issue for New England Patriots QB Drake Maye
GettyNew England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
During the New England Patriots’ playoff run a season ago, one thing became clear. The pressure getting past the offensive line and to Drake Maye was overwhelming.
Maye was able to overcome that, even with some diminished results, up until the Super Bowl. That’s when it became overwhelming, and Maye had a turnover issue that was a massive reason why they’d lose in the Super Bowl. It’s a major challenge to overcome, on paper, during the offseason. However, some advanced stats indicate that Maye is already doing very well against the pass rush, all things considered.
Jacob Fortgang of PFF recently charted quarterback performance when under pressure. There, Drake Maye seemed to shine. He had the highest expected points added figure among the 37 qualifying quarterbacks shown. In other words, it shows how well he’s actually managed to handle all of that pressure.
Pressure is still going to take its toll on Maye and the Patriots offense. After all, no quarterback plays well under pressure. However, this indicates that Maye is elite at handling it. That should only get better as he better understands the offense that McDaniels is running.
There is, of course, other room for improvement. In particular, against Cover-0 and Cover-6 defenses, but those are also challenges that he can work on.
Drake Maye Earned a Major Honor Ahead of the 2026 Season
GettyNew England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye
Ahead of the 2026 season, Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report shared an interesting way of rating players. He was looking for franchise players, regardless of position, to build around. That’s a bit different from simply ranking the best players, as things like age and contract become factors.
In the end, Gagnon landed on Maye as the best franchise player to build around in the entire NFL. The next closest player was Jayden Daniels, who was actually drafted ahead of Maye in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“This is really a no-doubter considering that Maye led the NFL in completion percentage, passer rating, QBR and yards per attempt during a near-MVP sophomore campaign for the surprise AFC champion Patriots,” Gagnon wrote.
“The schedule was soft, but the 23-year-old blew away expectations in building on a promising rookie campaign. He’s already an elite weapon down the field as well as with his legs, and now he’s got plenty of big-game experience entering Year 3. The future is wildly bright.”
It’s a great position for the Patriots and Maye to be in, and certainly, there’s been a focus on building the offense around him this offseason. They brought in wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, and drafted offensive tackle Caleb Lomu in the first round. So, he really is in a position to take another leap forward.
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