Drake Maye didn’t win many games, but he certainly provided some entertainment during his maiden voyage in the NFL.
With Maye at the helm, the Patriots offense was fun to watch again, not because the Patriots were scoring points galore, but mostly because their rookie quarterback was showing off his talent.
“He’s just putting the league on notice by the things he’s doing, the plays he’s making,” wide receiver Kendrick Bourne said of Maye late in the year. “I can’t wait to see what he does next. You don’t know what’s next and that’s why he’s exciting. He’s exciting to watch. I think everybody knows … this is come-see football.”
Running back Antonio Gibson agreed, saying there will be more to come in Year 2 from the young signal-caller, who was taken with the third-overall pick in the 2024 draft.
“I don’t think we’ve seen all of what he can do. I think he’s just getting started,” Gibson said late in the year. “We’ve probably gotten some bits here and there. But once he really gets comfortable, we’ll start to see the real Drake.”
During the season, Maye provided some memorable moments – both on the field and off – as he assumed the mantle of the team’s franchise quarterback.
He dazzled on the field, and also made his mark off of it. With Mike Vrabel now at the helm, and a new offensive coordinator on the way, it’ll be interesting to see how much more Maye improves.
Looking back, here’s 10 of Maye’s best moments from his rookie season.
In no particular order:
1. The Titans miracle
There are buzzer beaters, then there’s what Maye did against the Tennessee Titans during their Week 9 game.
The Patriots were trailing by a touchdown heading into their final drive of the game. Maye calmly marched the offense deep inside the red zone. On the last play of regulation, he was left needing to get the ball in for a touchdown.
It was do-or-die from the four-yard line.
Maye dropped back, and with no one immediately open, extended the play with some rope-a-dope in the pocket with the Titans pass rush coming after him. He ran around for more then 11 seconds before absorbing a hit and somehow finding running back Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone for the game-tying score.
Talk about clutch, receiver Kendrick Bourne thought that played showed just how special Maye is as a quarterback.
“Him moving around like that, having the awareness to extend the play, keep his eyes downfield, three people tackling him at one time, and a fadeaway jump shot to Rhamondre for the win,” said Bourne, “it was like, one of one. You can’t practice that. That’s just natural talent.”
The Patriots wound up losing the game, but with that play, a legend was born.
2. First TD throw – to Kayshon Boutte
Maye’s first NFL start, coming Week 6 against the Houston Texans, was a bit of a mixed bag. But the good parts left the type of impression the Patriots were hoping from the 2024 third-overall pick.
His first touchdown pass showcased his arm strength, accuracy and touch.
Maye reared back on a second-down throw and connected with Kayshon Boutte for a 40-yard touchdown strike. Boutte beat Houston corner Derek Stingley Jr. down the sideline and hauled in Maye’s deep bomb for the score.
That throw, which cut Houston’s lead to 14-7 before half time, inspired plenty of hope around New England.
“Pretty cool moment,” Maye said of his first career touchdown pass. “With this group you can push the ball downfield and make plays in the passing game. I just keep pushing it and I just have to keep making throws.”
3. Addressing offense after bad week of practice
One of the important steps for an NFL quarterback in becoming the leader of the offense is to be comfortable addressing his teammates, especially when things aren’t going well.
Maye took that step during the lead up to the Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears.
After one of the sloppy practices, the 22-year-old asked offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt if he could address the offense.
Maye’s message?
“We’ve gotta be better. Simple,” wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk told reporters following the game. “He even included himself, so that tells you he’s not a selfish player. He holds himself to that standard as well.”
The rookie wideout believed Maye’s speech was a “10 out of 10″ because the quarterback connected with everyone. What Maye said resonated in the room.
“Everybody loved it, man. We need that. We need that from our starting quarterback,” Polk said. “You’re a leader on this team. Don’t be afraid to take that next step of just being vocal… For him to be able to do that, it tells you a lot about him and the leadership he has.”
The Patriots went on to beat the Bears, 19-3, at Soldier Field.
4. Hooper pass vs. Bears
That Week 10 game against the Bears produced another highlight for the rookie QB.
Tight end Austin Hooper couldn’t stop marveling at one of the throws Maye made to him in the game where Maye basically threw him open between defenders, getting the ball in an area where only Hooper could catch it.
Hooper said some veterans quarterbacks he’s played with couldn’t make that throw.
“He threw it to a spot only I could get it,” Hooper said. “The (defenders) are covering me in man (coverage), he just picks a point in space where he knows I’ll be, and threw it on the money. That was big-time.
“He threw me open. And I’m thinking, ‘Oh wow. We got something, here’’’ Hooper went on. “I’ve played with a lot of veteran (quarterbacks) who were super-talented. That’s a very difficult throw no matter what your experience is, being able to throw it to only one spot, and he’s done that a number of times this year.”
Two weeks later, Maye also hit Hooper with a spectacular 38-yard TD pass against the Dolphins, scrambling to his right, and throwing across his body downfield to hit his tight end. That play gets honorable mention.
5. Spin move against the Bills
Maye made good use of his mobility and ability to run during the year. In 13 games, he gained 421 yards. He ran for two touchdowns.
There were plenty of highlights from his array of quarterback keepers. One of Maye’s best scampers came Week 16 game against the Bills.
The Patriots were facing a 3rd-and-9. With no one open and the walls closing in, Maye took off. It looked like he might wind up short of the marker, but he flashed a spin move toward the end of the run to avoid one tackler and gain the necessary yards for the first down.
It was one of the 22 first downs Maye snagged with his legs during the year.
6. TD flip to Pop Douglas vs. Arizona
Maye’s ability to improvise was on full display in Arizona during one red zone play early in the fourth quarter of that game. The Patriots were trailing 23-3 at the time.
And facing a 2nd-and-goal from the four, Maye took the shotgun snap, scrambled to his left, and just as he was about to get flattened, flicked a pass to Douglas in the end zone for the score.
On NBC Sports Boston, former Patriots quarterback Brian Hoyer called the shovel pass “Josh Allen-esque.” Ross Tucker, who was the analyst on the CBS broadcast, said it looked “like a Larry Bird pass.”
Whatever the description, the play showcased Maye’s feel for the game and natural ability to make something out of nothing.
7. Left-handed pass
In college, Maye threw a touchdown pass left-handed in a game against Pitt. While he didn’t produce a score, his left-handed toss against Chicago was still pretty effective.
Just as he was about to be wrapped up and sacked by a Bears defender, Maye, who was out of the pocket, managed to shift the ball into his left hand. He then threw an incomplete pass to avoid the sack.
“That was crazy,” said Bourne.
It was reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes wizardry with the Chiefs.
8. TD pass to Boutte in Buffalo
This was the first meeting against the Bills, the best team in the division. Excitement over future matchups between Maye and Bills star Josh Allen were enhanced especially early on.
The Patriots struck first in this game after Maye connected with Boutte on a perfectly thrown 28-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.
Maye stuck the ball in a tight-window near the front right pylon.
Boutte was blanketed by Bills corner Kaiir Elam but threw his hands out at the last moment to corral the perfectly thrown ball from his quarterback.
It marked Maye’s 13th touchdown pass of the season.
9. Free play TD
The Patriots were trailing 17-0 to the Chargers in Foxboro during the Week 17 game. They hadn’t gotten much going, but during one series, Maye recognized an L.A. defender jumped offsides, so he had a free play.
Just as Maye was about to get hit, he unloaded a 36-yard pass off his back foot in the direction of the end end zone with Pop Douglas reeling it in for a touchdown.
That was the lone bright spot in a 40-7 loss.
That score gave Maye at least one passing touchdown pass in eighth straight games, establishing a Patriots record for a rookie. It also marked his third TD pass of at east 35 air yards, the most such touchdown passes by a Patriots quarterback in a season since Tom Brady (3) in 2009.
10. Rookie minicamp – challenging Ja’Lynn Polk on the hill
The Patriots posted a video showing Maye mic’d up during the rookies minicamp in May.
In the video, the QB could be heard chirping with receiver Ja’Lynn Polk, challenging his fellow rookie to beat him in a race as players sprinted up the famous hill behind Gillette Stadium.
“Hey, I’m gonna run. But you’ve gotta beat me though, for real,” Maye said to Polk. “I’m gonna run. But you gotta beat me.”
That might seem like a small thing, but in the big picture, it relays the competitiveness of Maye.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt made note of the importance of competitiveness in the best quarterbacks.
“There’s a lot of good quarterbacks. I think the greatness comes with the detail,” Van Pelt said. “I think the processing, to me, the great quarterbacks are the fastest processors. They can see the field, they can understand the issues, they can see the space in the field and process that quickly.
“Then the other part, the piece that I’ve always found with the great quarterbacks, is the competitiveness. Everyone I’ve been around from [Joe] Montana to [Jim] Kelly, they want to kick your butt in darts or rock paper scissors it doesn’t matter.”
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