FOXBOROUGH – Whether he plays one quarter, a half, the entire game, or doesn’t play at all in Sunday’s season finale against the Buffalo Bills, the fact-finding mission is complete when it comes to Drake Maye in Year 1.
His rookie campaign is already one of the few success stories of the Patriots’ dismal 2024 season. There was a lot riding on Maye, and how he fared after finally taking over from Jacoby Brissett.
The team’s third overall pick could have looked like a complete bust. He could have been lumped in a huge pile when it came to listing all that’s wrong with the Patriots. Instead, Maye has shown enough promise and ability for the Patriots to believe they don’t have to worry about the most important position on the field.
They have their quarterback.
That knowledge allows the Patriots to wheel and deal from the top spot in the draft order and gain big-time assets from a quarterback-needy team if they ultimately wind up with the first overall pick.
Beyond that, the Patriots finally have a stud to build around. They have the most important rebuilding piece of the puzzle solved.
It’s now up to de facto GM Eliot Wolf – if he’s retained – to surround Maye with the type of talent that will properly showcase his talent. That’s the most important item on the team’s offseason to-do list after the smoke clears on the coaching staff and front office with respect to who stays and who goes.
It’s adding elite talent to his huddle.
Even with an offensive line that flunked its basic job this season, and receivers that were hard-pressed to get open, Maye still managed to generate offense. He made chicken salad out of chicken bleep. His 15 touchdown passes in 11 starts, including a Patriots rookie record of throwing a touchdown pass in eight straight games, are a testament to that.
Imagine what he might do with legitimate help? Imagine how much better the offense might be if Maye is flanked by playmakers and an offensive line that’s no longer among the worst in the league?
That’s why it’ll be interesting to see how Jerod Mayo handles Sunday’s season finale against Buffalo to see if Maye is out there, or he opts to give rookie Joe Milton III the baton.
Maye suffered a head injury during Saturday’s loss to the Chargers, leaving the game for a time before returning, and then turned up with a right hand injury on Wednesday’s injury report.
The young quarterback said he felt fine when meeting with the media earlier in the day, and was preparing as if he was the starter.
Naturally, he wants to play. He wants to start.
But what if he gets hurt against Buffalo, and has to miss part of the early camps next year, or beyond? How good would that look?
Perhaps Mayo will play him a series, or two, before getting him out. Or he won’t play him at all. Whatever the case – and there’s a lot riding on that decision – Maye has nothing more to prove this year.
Plus, taking a closer look at the injury report, wideouts Ja’Lynn Polk and Kayshon Boutte are also dealing with issues. If Polk (shoulder) and Boutte (illness), who didn’t practice Wednesday, and Javon Baker aren’t getting the lion’s share of reps with Maye on Sunday, what’s the point of having him out there?
Defensive lineman Davon Godchaux already knows what he sees when he lines up against Maye in practice. He’s already pumped about Maye’s added development in 2025. He doesn’t need to see him play in one more meaningless game.
“It’s going to be amazing, man,” Godchaux said Wednesday. “I can’t wait to see his process. I can’t wait to see him grow. Get better. Take that Year 2 jump. It’s going to be exciting. Showed a lot of flashes this year. He could be a really good player in this league… he’s going to be great. I can’t wait to see it.”
Maye also has higher expectations for himself, and the team next season. One other thing that was learned about the former UNC standout was his proclivity for saying all the right things, even in wake of the team’s 3-13 season.
During his WEEI appearance Monday, Maye conveyed hope for the future.
“I’m confident. I’m confident in the guys. I’m confident in the coaches. I’m confident in myself,” Maye said. “I think pressure is a privilege and we want to go improve. We want to be better. We have guys that have shown flashes. We’ve shown flashes as a team this year when we’re putting our best foot forward.
“And it comes with the offense not putting the defense in bad spots. Especially me turning the ball over and little things being better in big situations in the game. So I’m real confident in the guys and look forward to what’s to come. I think this offseason is just another chance for us to work harder. With the season we’ve had and where we’re at right now, it just gives us more motivation.”
That will also come with the proper choices being made for the final game, and in turn, the front office making the right moves in the draft and free agency.
Maye has already proven his mettle. He’s already exceeded expectations. He still needs to work on limiting turnovers, but he has all the tools to be one of the better quarterbacks in the league for many years to come.
Having Maye start against the Bills doesn’t change that narrative. So Mayo and the powers that be have an interesting decision to make when it comes to their young quarterback and whether he plays or not on Sunday.
Getting the most out of the 2025 draft is vital. Being in the driver’s seat with the first overall pick would help Maye and the Patriots gain the type of draft capital that would go a long way toward changing the team’s fortunes.
But then again, they still might lose to the Bills ‘B’ team with Maye under center.
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