Written by MICHAEL KOH
Drake Maye has a critical few months ahead of him.
At this time last year, Drake was viewed as an intriguing prospect with a substandard roster around him who was expected to take a few steps forward in his second season. A Super Bowl appearance, second team All-Pro nod and runner-up MVP finish later, Maye is now a known commodity.
The Patriots have been very careful with their prized young quarterback since he last took the field in New England’s Super Bowl loss vs. the Seattle Seahawks in February. After recovering from a nagging shoulder injury which clearly hampered him during the Pats’ playoff run, Drake did not play at all in New England’s three preseason games. It was an unusual move by head coach Mike Vrabel; often, the starters will play at least two or three series across the preseason to knock the rust off. But Vrabel clearly doesn’t want to risk his team’s health in a meaningless exhibition. After the second preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Vrabel very bluntly said, “I do not think we have a very deep team.”
Even so, the Patriots made aggressive moves to build around Maye as he enters his third professional season. New England traded for disgruntled Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, who despite the headaches he caused in Philly still earned three second team All-Pro nods and won a Super Bowl. Brown also played under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans. Another new target for Maye is former Green Bay Packer Romeo Doubs, who’s coming off a six-touchdown season in 2025.
But with those additions came some notable subtractions. Two of Maye’s favorite targets from his brilliant sophomore campaign – Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte – are gone, as is veteran tight end Austin Hooper. Those three players combined to reel in 12 of Drake’s 31 touchdown passes in the 2025 regular season and accounted for 1,827 of his 4,394 yards — almost 42 percent.
Another concern is the Patriots’ schedule, which is taking a massive step up in difficulty. Three of New England’s first four games are on the road, and all four of those games are against playoff teams — starting with a Super Bowl rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle next Wednesday.
Drake will be pitted against some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He faces Josh Allen and Buffalo twice, plus has meetings scheduled against Caleb Williams’ Bears, Jordan Love’s Packers, Jared Goff’s Lions, Justin Herbert’s Chargers, Bo Nix’s Broncos and Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs. The NFL’s scheduling model is famously airtight, but it’s almost as if commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office handpicked these games to find out if Drake is really as good as his sophomore season would suggest. The Patriots picked on a lot of bottom feeders in 2025, and now the big guns are coming to town.
Critics pointed to that soft strength of schedule and the Patriots’ poor performance in the Super Bowl as knocks on Maye. But his peers clearly think highly of him: Maye was ranked No. 11 on the NFL’s annual Top 100 Players list, which is voted on by the players themselves.
No. 11 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026…@Patriots QB Drake Maye! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/e91dTxF4Hl
— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026
With that endorsement, an upgraded receiver room, several national television appointments and a massive target on his back, Drake is poised for a hugely important 2026 campaign. If he improves upon or even just holds steady from his 2025 numbers, he will have locked himself in as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. But if he hits a junior slump, questions will abound as to whether he was a one-hit wonder. The timing of it all is critical: the Patriots hold a club option on his rookie contract after the end of the 2027 season.
It all starts one week from today in Seattle.
Featured image via Associated Press/Steven Senne
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