The New England Patriots fanbase might be feeling a tinge of deja vu with their current situation. After the first year of Mac Jones, where he made the Pro Bowl, expectations were sky-high for life after Tom Brady in New England. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out in the way most people anticipated.
Now, the Patriots face a similar situation with Drake Maye. An excellent rookie season saw him earn Pro Bowl honors. But his growth as his career progresses is going to ultimately decide the future of the New England Patriots. And it makes for a fascinating watch for the most successful franchise of the last quarter century.
Can Drake Maye Take Sophomore Leap?
To ensure Maye has the best possible chance to succeed, New England has left no stone unturned. Adding Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels as the new head coach and offensive coordinator has given them a winning recipe on the sidelines.
Additionally, their moves have also helped improved the roster taking the field for New England next season. PFSN gave their moves in free agency a B+ grade. Not only did they make a plethora of addditions on defense, they also focused on Maye’s end of the football.
Signing Mack Hollins and Stefon Diggs was a couple of shrewd moves to shore up the wide receiver room, while Morgan Moses and Garrett Bradbury should help with the abysmal protection from last season (30th on PFSN’s OL+ metric).
The 2025 NFL Draft, too, gave them some quality pickups, as Will Campbell, Kyle Williams, Jared Wilson, and TreVeyon Henderson became their first four picks, bringing a good combination of offensive line hep and strong skill-position guys.
But, the crux of their entire operation is going to be on their quarterback. Per Jacob Infante of PFSN, his development is going to be the biggest storyline to monitor in New England as we enter minicamp.
Even though the offense ranked in the bottom 10 of the league on PFSN’s Offense+ metric, Maye on his own was impressive. Finishing 19th on the corresponding QB+ metric, he was ahead of veterans like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Kirk Cousins.
Drake Maye is going to enter Top 5 QB conversations after this season. Just wait.
pic.twitter.com/RykhZl3omi— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) May 28, 2025
“It’s too early to expect a playoff run,” Infante wrote about the 2025 season. “But minicamp will help measure his growth heading into Year 2.” Through rookie training camps and OTAs, the full selection of players, especially their prize offseason acquisition, Stefon Diggs, wasn’t fully available.
Even though the two have developed some good chemistry as “locker mates”, extended runs on the field at minicamp should give the coaches a clear idea of what comes next for New England.
